Clamp loaders and replication initiation
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Published on: April 29, 2010
1The Rockefeller University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA. odonnell@rockefeller.edu
Abstract:
Clamp loaders are ATP-driven multiprotein machines that couple ATP hydrolysis to the opening and closing of a circular protein ring around DNA. This ring-shaped clamp slides along DNA, and interacts with numerous proteins involved in DNA replication, DNA repair and cell cycle control. Recently determined structures of clamp loader complexes from prokaryotic and eukaryotic sources have revealed exciting new details of how these complex AAA+ machines perform this essential clamp loading function.
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