Abstract
High resolution crystal structures of DNA polymerase intermediates are needed to study the mechanism of DNA synthesis in cells. Here we report five crystal structures of DNA polymerase I that capture new conformations for the polymerase translocation and nucleotide pre-insertion steps in the DNA synthesis pathway. We suggest that these new structures, along with previously solved structures, highlight the dynamic nature of the finger subdomain in the enzyme active site.
Highlights
DNA polymerase I (DNAP-I) has long been viewed as the canonical model for DNA synthesis in cells (Lehman et al, 1958)
Structural insights into the mechanism of DNA synthesis have been obtained from crystal structures of a thermostable bacterial (Geobacillus stearothermophilus, Bst) DNAP-I large fragment that retains catalytic activity inside the crystal lattice (Johnson et al, 2003; Kiefer et al, 1998)
The prevailing mechanism invokes the use of a distinct pre-insertion site, observed in the translocated product of in crystallo catalyzed primer-extension reactions where dNTP substrates are soaked into pre-formed crystals of DNAP-I bound to a primer-template duplex (Figure 1—figure supplement 1)(Johnson et al, 2003; Kiefer et al, 1998)
Summary
DNA polymerase I (DNAP-I) has long been viewed as the canonical model for DNA synthesis in cells (Lehman et al, 1958). The prevailing mechanism invokes the use of a distinct pre-insertion site, observed in the translocated product of in crystallo catalyzed primer-extension reactions where dNTP substrates are soaked into pre-formed crystals of DNAP-I bound to a primer-template duplex (Figure 1—figure supplement 1)(Johnson et al, 2003; Kiefer et al, 1998). We report five crystal structures of DNAP-I that capture new conformations for the polymerase translocation and nucleotide pre-insertion steps in the DNA synthesis pathway. Together, these structures provide new insight into the mechanism of DNA synthesis and highlight the dynamic nature of the finger subdomain in the enzyme active site
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