Structural highlights
Function
[PCRA_GEOSE] DNA helicase. Has a broad nucleotide specificity, even being able to hydrolyze ethenonucleotides, and is able to couple the hydrolysis to unwinding of DNA substrates. It is a 3'-5' helicase but at high protein concentrations it can also displace a substrate with a 5' tail. Preferred substrate being one with both single and double-stranded regions of DNA.
Publication Abstract from PubMed
The PcrA/UvrD helicase functions in multiple pathways that promote bacterial genome stability including the suppression of conflicts between replication and transcription and facilitating the repair of transcribed DNA. The reported ability of PcrA/UvrD to bind and backtrack RNA polymerase (1,2) might be relevant to these functions, but the structural basis for this activity is poorly understood. In this work, we define a minimal RNA polymerase interaction domain in PcrA, and report its crystal structure at 1.5 A resolution. The domain adopts a Tudor-like fold that is similar to other RNA polymerase interaction domains, including that of the prototype transcription-repair coupling factor Mfd. Removal or mutation of the interaction domain reduces the ability of PcrA/UvrD to interact with and to remodel RNA polymerase complexes in vitro. The implications of this work for our understanding of the role of PcrA/UvrD at the interface of DNA replication, transcription and repair are discussed.
The structure and function of an RNA polymerase interaction domain in the PcrA/UvrD helicase.,Sanders K, Lin CL, Smith AJ, Cronin N, Fisher G, Eftychidis V, McGlynn P, Savery NJ, Wigley DB, Dillingham MS Nucleic Acids Res. 2017 Apr 20;45(7):3875-3887. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkx074. PMID:28160601[1]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
References
- ↑ Sanders K, Lin CL, Smith AJ, Cronin N, Fisher G, Eftychidis V, McGlynn P, Savery NJ, Wigley DB, Dillingham MS. The structure and function of an RNA polymerase interaction domain in the PcrA/UvrD helicase. Nucleic Acids Res. 2017 Apr 20;45(7):3875-3887. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkx074. PMID:28160601 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkx074
