All six minichromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins have DNA-dependent ATPase motifs in the central domain which is conserved from yeast to mammals. Our group purified MCM protein complexes consisting of MCM2, -4 (Cdc21), -6 (Mis5), and -7 (CDC47) proteins from HeLa cells by using histone-Sepharose column chromatography (Ishimi, Y., Ichinose, S., Omori, A., Sato K., and Kimura, H. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 24115-24122). The present study revealed that both ATPase activity and DNA helicase activity that displaces oligonucleotides annealed to single-stranded circular DNA are associated with an MCM protein complex. Both ATPase and DNA helicase activities were co-purified with a 600-kDa protein complex that is consisted of equal amounts of MCM4, -6, and -7 proteins. An immunodepletion of the MCM protein complex from the purified fraction using anti-MCM4 antibody resulted in the severe reduction of the DNA helicase activity. Displacement of DNA fragments by the DNA helicase suggested that it migrated along single-stranded DNA in the 3' to 5' direction, and the DNA helicase activity was detected only in the presence of hydrolyzable ATP or dATP. These results suggest that this helicase may be involved in the initiation of DNA replication as a DNA unwinding enzyme.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1074/jbc.272.39.24508 | DOI Listing |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
February 2025
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Liver Cancer Institute of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China.
Aging is a complex process that affects multiple organs, and the discovery of a pharmacological approach to ameliorate aging is considered the Holy Grail of medicine. Here, we performed an N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea forward genetic screening in zebrafish and identified an accelerated aging mutant named (), harboring a mutation in the - () gene. Loss of leads to a short lifespan and age-related characteristics in the intestine of zebrafish embryos, such as cellular senescence, genomic instability, and epigenetic alteration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNucleic Acids Res
January 2025
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA 23298, United States.
The Rep68 protein from Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) is a multifunctional SF3 helicase that performs most of the DNA transactions necessary for the viral life cycle. During AAV DNA replication, Rep68 assembles at the origin of replication, catalyzing the DNA melting and nicking reactions during the hairpin rolling replication process to complete the second-strand synthesis of the AAV genome. We report the cryo-electron microscopy structures of Rep68 bound to the adeno-associated virus integration site 1 in different nucleotide-bound states.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNucleic Acids Res
January 2025
Single-Molecule and Cell Mechanobiology Laboratory, Daejeon, 34141, South Korea.
Helicase is a nucleic acid motor that catalyses the unwinding of double-stranded (ds) RNA and DNA via ATP hydrolysis. Helicases can act either as a nucleic acid motor that unwinds its ds substrates or as a chaperone that alters the stability of its substrates, but the two activities have not yet been reported to act simultaneously. Here, we used single-molecule techniques to unravel the synergistic coordination of helicase and chaperone activities, and found that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus helicase (nsp13) is capable of two modes of action: (i) binding of nsp13 in tandem with the fork junction of the substrate mechanically unwinds the substrate by an ATP-driven synchronous power stroke; and (ii) free nsp13, which is not bound to the substrate but complexed with ADP in solution, destabilizes the substrate through collisions between transient binding and unbinding events with unprecedented melting capability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEMBO Rep
January 2025
Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada.
Homologous recombination is a largely error-free DNA repair mechanism conserved across all domains of life and is essential for the maintenance of genome integrity. Not only are the mutations in homologous recombination repair genes probable cancer drivers, some also cause genetic disorders. In particular, mutations in the Bloom (BLM) helicase cause Bloom Syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by increased sister chromatid exchanges and predisposition to a variety of cancers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExp Mol Med
January 2025
Section on DNA Repair, Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
RecQ helicases, highly conserved proteins with pivotal roles in DNA replication, DNA repair and homologous recombination, are crucial for maintaining genomic integrity. Mutations in RECQL4 have been associated with various human diseases, including Rothmund-Thomson syndrome. RECQL4 is involved in regulating major DNA repair pathways, such as homologous recombination and nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ).
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