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Describe the CMG complex
- CMG moves physically with replication forks or as the unwindosome moves
Cdc45 consistently co-purifies with the six Mcm and four GINS components in different species, and this CMG complex is known as the replisome progression complex (CMG physically moves with the replication forks) or as the unwindosome (due to its helicase activity in vitro)
Cdc45 is believed to be the rate-limiting factor for replication initiation
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- Cdc45 can physically interact with Mcm and DNA Pol a
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Role of CDC45 in CMG:
Cdc45 is believed to be the rate-limiting factor for replication initiation
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- Cdc45 can physically interact with Mcm and DNA Pol a
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In E. coli replication, how many DNA pol III holoenzyme copies are needed per replication fork and per replication bubble?
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How many DNA pol III holoenzyme copies are needed in the rolling circle mode of replication (hint: think how many replication forks are produced)?
1
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In eukaryotic replication, how many Mcm2-7 hexamers are needed per replication fork and per replication bubble?
- at the bubble we have two, but at each fork we have one

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Primer construct during DNA replication in both prokaryotes vs eukaryotes
- prokaryotes: RNA
- eukaryotes: RNA and DNA
- The DNA fragment will be re synthesized when the Okazaki fragment is replaced
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Describe this image:
The phenomenon of replacing Pol α by DNA pol δ/e is called polymerase switching
DNA pol δ/ε have 3′ → 5′ exonuclease activities and can thus edit the replicated DNA
After the primer is made, replication factor C, RFC (a eukaryotic equivalent of g clamp loader of E. coli) displaces DNA pol ε and attracts proliferating cell nuclear antigen, PCNA (an equivalent of b clamp of E. coli)
PCNA then recruits the main replicative polymerase, DNA pol δ (for lagging strand synthesis) or pol e (for leading strand synthesis), making them processive
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Describe how the gaps between Okazaki fragments are sealed in eukaryotes
On the lagging strand, flap endonuclease 1, FEN-1, removes RNA primers of Okazaki fragments
FEN-1 works in conjunction with DNA Pol δ to replace the primers by nick-translation (equivalent to DNA Pol I of E. coli)
Nicks between individual Okazaki fragments on the lagging strands are sealed by DNA ligase I
The eukaryotic equivalent of the E. coli t-subunit that holds the replisomes of both DNA strands together is unknown
- Topoisomerase I relieves torsional stress in front of the replication fork, Topo II a/b take care of the final untangling

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What enzyme relieves torsional stress in front of the replication fork?
Topoisomerase I relieves torsional stress in front of the replication fork, Topo II a/b take care of the final untangling
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DNA polymerase ε
- High fidelity replicases
- leading strand
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DNA polymerase δ
- High fidelity replicases
- lagging strand
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DNA polymerase β
- high fidelity repair
- base excision repair
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DNA polymerase α
- nuclear replication
- high fidelity replication
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Describe Telomeres
The ends of eukaryotic chromosomes are protected by special DNA structures called telomeres
Telomeres are repetitive dsDNA elements composed of tandems of short G-rich regions
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Telomere repeat sequence in humans
TTAGGG
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Describe Telomere maintenance:
The G-rich strand of the telomere is synthesized by the enzyme called telomerase
Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein complex that contains a short RNA template and a reverse transcriptase that catalyzes telomere synthesis
Each molecule of telomerase contains two copies of TERC (or telomerase RNA component), two copies of TERT (or telomerase reverse transcriptase), and one copy of Dkc1 (or dyskerin), a protein that stabilizes the telomerase complex
Telomerase makes the G-rich strand by extending the protruding 3’-end of the DNA and using TERC as a template
- Ordinary RNA-primed DNA synthesis then takes place on the recessed strand to make the complementary C-rich strand

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Mammalian Telomere Strucutre
The function of telomeric proteins is also necessary for the efficient replication of telomeric regions
The repetitive and GC-rich telomeres are known to form higher-order DNA secondary structures, such as G-quadruplexes
G-quadruplexes are believed to interfere with replication fork progression as well as with telomerase activity
The function of telomeric proteins is required for resolving these problems
For example, targeted deletion of the Shelterin component TRF1 in mice leads to stalled replication forks
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Shelterin
A hexameric protein complex, known as Shelterin, assists in T-loop formation and protects telomeric DNA
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Hayflick limit
Telomere shortening provides an explanation for a phenomenon called the Hayflick limit
In 1962 Leonard Hayflick discovered that cultured human cells do not divide indefinitely but after a fixed number of cell divisions senesce and die (due to telomere shortening!)
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State three enzymatic activities DNA Pol I of E. coli possesses
- 5’-3’ DNA polymerase
- 5’-3’ exonuclease
- 3’-5’ exonuclease
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DNA Pol III
- DNA polymerase III holoenzyme is the primary enzyme complex involved in prokaryotic DNA replication.
- The main function of the third polymerase, Pol III, is duplication of the chromosomal DNA while other DNA polymerases are involved mostly in DNA repair and translesion DNA synthesis. Together with a DNA helicase and a primase, Pol III HE participates in the replicative apparatus that acts at the replication fork.
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Primase
- Enzyme
- RNA Primers
- Enables DNA Pol III to make DNA
- Reads 3' to 5'
- Writes 5' to 3'
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What does DNA Pol III need to initiate DNA synthesis?
3' OH group of RNA Primer
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DNA polymerase γ
Replicates mitochondrial DNA
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