Structural highlights
Function
PRIS_PYRAB Catalytic subunit of DNA primase, an RNA polymerase that catalyzes the synthesis of short RNA molecules used as primers for DNA polymerase during DNA replication. The small subunit contains the primase catalytic core and has DNA synthesis activity on its own, synthesizing DNA strands up to 3 kB. Binding to the large subunit stabilizes and modulates the activity, increasing the rate of DNA synthesis while decreasing the length of the DNA fragments, and conferring RNA synthesis capability for RNA fragments up to 150 bases. The DNA polymerase activity may enable DNA primase to also catalyze primer extension after primer synthesis. May also play a role in DNA repair. Displays gap-filling and strand-displacement activities.[1]
References
- ↑ Le Breton M, Henneke G, Norais C, Flament D, Myllykallio H, Querellou J, Raffin JP. The heterodimeric primase from the euryarchaeon Pyrococcus abyssi: a multifunctional enzyme for initiation and repair? J Mol Biol. 2007 Dec 14;374(5):1172-85. PMID:17991487 doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2007.10.015