Publication Abstract from PubMed
Flap endonuclease-1 (FEN-1), a structure specific nuclease, is an essential enzyme for eukaryotic DNA replication and repair. The crystal structure of FEN-1 from Methanococcus jannaschii, determined at 2.0 A resolution, reveals an active site with two metal ions residing on top of a deep cleft where several conserved acidic residues are clustered. Near the active site, a long flexible loop comprised of many basic and aromatic residues forms a hole large enough to accommodate the DNA substrate. Deletion mutations in this loop significantly decreased the nuclease activity and specificity of FEN-1, suggesting that the loop is critical for recognition and cleavage of the junction between single and double-stranded regions of flap DNA.
The crystal structure of flap endonuclease-1 from Methanococcus jannaschii.,Hwang KY, Baek K, Kim HY, Cho Y Nat Struct Biol. 1998 Aug;5(8):707-13. PMID:9699635[1]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
