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A novel processive mechanism for DNA synthesis revealed by structure, modeling and mutagenesis of the accessory subunit of human mitochondrial DNA polymerase

Academic Article
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Overview

authors

  • Fan, L.
  • Kim, S.
  • Farr, C. L.
  • Schaefer, K. T.
  • Randolph, K. M.
  • Tainer, John
  • Kaguni, L. S.

publication date

  • May 2006

journal

  • Journal of Molecular Biology  Journal

abstract

  • Mitochondrial DNA polymerase (pol gamma) is the sole DNA polymerase responsible for replication and repair of animal mitochondrial DNA. Here, we address the molecular mechanism by which the human holoenzyme achieves high processivity in nucleotide polymerization. We have determined the crystal structure of human pol gamma-beta, the accessory subunit that binds with high affinity to the catalytic core, pol gamma-alpha, to stimulate its activity and enhance holoenzyme processivity. We find that human pol gamma-beta shares a high level of structural similarity to class IIa aminoacyl tRNA synthetases, and forms a dimer in the crystal. A human pol gamma/DNA complex model was developed using the structures of the pol gamma-beta dimer and the bacteriophage T7 DNA polymerase ternary complex, which suggests multiple regions of subunit interaction between pol gamma-beta and the human catalytic core that allow it to encircle the newly synthesized double-stranded DNA, and thereby enhance DNA binding affinity and holoenzyme processivity. Biochemical properties of a novel set of human pol gamma-beta mutants are explained by and test the model, and elucidate the role of the accessory subunit as a novel type of processivity factor in stimulating pol gamma activity and in enhancing processivity.

subject areas

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Amino Acid Substitution
  • Base Sequence
  • Catalytic Domain
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • DNA
  • DNA Polymerase beta
  • DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase
  • Dimerization
  • Humans
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Mitochondria
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Protein Structure, Quaternary
  • Protein Subunits
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Research

keywords

  • NA polymerase
  • crystal structure
  • mitochondria
  • molecular model
  • processivity
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Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC4703138

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0022-2836

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.jmb.2006.02.073

PubMed ID

  • 16574152
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Additional Document Info

start page

  • 1229

end page

  • 1243

volume

  • 358

issue

  • 5

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