Single stranded binding protein

Introduction

The single stranded DNA binding protein (SSB) of E. coli plays an important role in three aspects of DNA metabolism – namely in replication, repair and recombination. During DNA replication, SSB molecules bind to the newly separated DNA strands, keeping the strands separated by holding them in place so that each strand can serve as a template.

Structure

The structure of SSB consists of a homotetramer that has a DNA binding domain that binds to a single strand of DNA.

Binding Interactions in the Active Site