1v34

Publication Abstract from PubMed

BACKGROUND: In chromosomal DNA replication, DNA primase initiates the synthesis of a dinucleotide on a single-stranded template DNA, and elongates it to form a primer RNA for the replicative DNA polymerase. Although the apo-structure of an archaeal primase has been reported, the mechanism of primer synthesis by the eukaryotic-type primase still remains to be elucidated. RESULTS: In this study, we present the crystal structure of the eukaryotic-type DNA primase from the hyperthermophilic archaeon (Pyrococcus horikoshii) with the uridine 5'-triphosphate (UTP). In the present primase-UTP complex, the primase binds the triphosphate moiety of the UTP at the active site, which includes Asp95, Asp97, and Asp280, the essential residues for the nucleotidyl transfer reaction. CONCLUSION: The nucleotide binding geometry in this complex explains the previous biochemical analyses of the eukaryotic primase. Based on the complex structure, we constructed a model between the DNA primase and a primer/template DNA for the primer synthesis. This model facilitates the comprehension of the reported features of DNA primase.

Crystal structure of the Pyrococcus horikoshii DNA primase-UTP complex: implications for the mechanism of primer synthesis.,Ito N, Nureki O, Shirouzu M, Yokoyama S, Hanaoka F Genes Cells. 2003 Dec;8(12):913-23. PMID:14750947^[2]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.