A single subunit directs the assembly of the Escherichia coli DNA sliding clamp loader.

Multi-protein clamp loader complexes are required to load sliding clamps onto DNA. In Escherichia coli the clamp loader contains three DnaX (tau/gamma) proteins, delta, and delta', which together form an asymmetric pentameric ring that also interacts with psichi. Here we used mass spectrometry to examine the assembly and dynamics of the clamp loader complex.