Structural highlights
Evolutionary Conservation Check, as determined by ConSurfDB. You may read the explanation of the method and the full data available from ConSurf. Publication Abstract from PubMedAccurate DNA replication is essential for genomic stability. One mechanism by which high-fidelity DNA polymerases maintain replication accuracy involves stalling of the polymerase in response to covalent incorporation of mismatched base pairs, thereby favoring subsequent mismatch excision. Some polymerases retain a "short-term memory" of replication errors, responding to mismatches up to four base pairs in from the primer terminus. Here we a present a structural characterization of all 12 possible mismatches captured at the growing primer terminus in the active site of a polymerase. Our observations suggest four mechanisms that lead to mismatch-induced stalling of the polymerase. Furthermore, we have observed the effects of extending a mismatch up to six base pairs from the primer terminus and find that long-range distortions in the DNA transmit the presence of the mismatch back to the enzyme active site, suggesting the structural basis for the short-term memory of replication errors. Structures of mismatch replication errors observed in a DNA polymerase.,Johnson SJ, Beese LS Cell. 2004 Mar 19;116(6):803-16. PMID:15035983[1] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. See AlsoReferencesContents | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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