Function
Terminase (Ter) is a key component of the DNA packaging machine found in bacteriophages and herpesviruses. The Ter complex is comprised of a small Ter subunit which is a recognition subunit and a large Ter subunit which is an endonuclease/translocase subunit [1]. The nuclease activity of the large Ter subunit is stimulated by ATP.
Structural highlights
The large subunit of Ter is composed of an N-terminal ATPase domain, a linker region and a C-terminal nuclease domain. ATP binds to the protein in a groove between the ATPase domain and the linker region[2].
