Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Hybrid Ensemble and Single-molecule Assay to Image the Motion of Fully Reconstituted CMG
10:11

Hybrid Ensemble and Single-molecule Assay to Image the Motion of Fully Reconstituted CMG

Published on: July 26, 2024

MCM proteins and DNA replication

Domenico Maiorano1, Malik Lutzmann, Marcel Méchali

  • 1Institute of Human Genetics, CNRS, 141 rue de la Cardonille, 34396 Montpellier, France. mechali@igh.cnrs.fr

Current Opinion in Cell Biology
|February 24, 2006
PubMed

Insights

The MCM proteins are crucial for DNA replication in archaea and eukaryotes. This study explores the roles of MCM8 and MCM9, expanding our understanding of genome replication factors.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Minichromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins are essential conserved factors for genome replication.
  • The MCM2-7 protein family functions as DNA helicases, critical for initiating DNA synthesis.
  • MCM8 and MCM9 are recently identified members, potentially unique to multicellular organisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the distinct functions of MCM8 and MCM9 within the broader MCM protein family.
  • To clarify the role of MCM9 in genome replication, as its function is currently unknown.
  • To understand the evolutionary expansion and functional diversification of MCM proteins.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative genomics to identify MCM8 and MCM9 presence in different organisms.
  • Functional assays to determine the enzymatic activity and cellular roles of MCM8 and MCM9.
  • Genetic studies to analyze the impact of MCM8 and MCM9 on DNA replication.

Main Results:

  • MCM8 exhibits a distinct function separate from the canonical MCM2-7 helicase complex.
  • The specific function of MCM9 in DNA replication remains to be elucidated.
  • MCM1 and MCM10 are identified as unrelated factors also involved in DNA synthesis.

Conclusions:

  • The MCM protein family is more diverse than previously thought, with specialized roles for members like MCM8.
  • Further research is needed to fully characterize the function of MCM9.
  • Understanding the MCM protein family provides insights into the fundamental mechanisms of genome replication.

More Related Videos

Strand-Specific Analysis of Proteins at Replicating DNA Strands by Enrichment and Sequencing of Protein-Associated Nascent DNA Method08:53

Strand-Specific Analysis of Proteins at Replicating DNA Strands by Enrichment and Sequencing of Protein-Associated Nascent DNA Method

Published on: May 2, 2025

Single-Molecule Real-Time Visualization of DNA Unwinding by CMG Helicase07:37

Single-Molecule Real-Time Visualization of DNA Unwinding by CMG Helicase

Published on: September 27, 2024

Related Concept Videos

DNA Helicases00:55

DNA Helicases

DNA unwinding helicase enzymes are a type of motor protein. Motor proteins can translocate along filaments or polymers using energy generated from ATP hydrolysis. Helicases are involved in all the important cellular processes where DNA unwinding is required, such as DNA replication, repair, recombination, and transcription. They are present in all living organisms, but vary in their structure, function, and mechanism of action. For example, in prokaryotes, DnaB helicase binds and translocates...
The Replisome03:01

The Replisome

DNA replication is carried out by a large complex of proteins that act in a coordinated matter to achieve high-fidelity DNA replication. Together this complex is known as the DNA replication machinery or the replisome.
The synthesis of the leading and lagging strands is a highly coordinated process. To explain this, the “Trombone model” was proposed by Bruce Alberts in 1980. The DNA loop formation starts when a primer is synthesized on the parent lagging strand. The loop grows with the...
Restarting Stalled Replication Forks02:37

Restarting Stalled Replication Forks

DNA replication is initiated at sites containing predefined DNA sequences known as origins of replication. DNA is unwound at these sites by the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) helicase and other factors such as Cdc45 and the associated GINS complex.The unwound single strands are protected by replication protein A (RPA) until DNA polymerase starts synthesizing DNA at the 5’ end of the strand in the same direction as the replication fork. To prevent the replication fork from falling apart, a...
S-Cdk Initiates DNA Replication02:38

S-Cdk Initiates DNA Replication

The cell cycle is a series of events leading to DNA duplication followed by the division of cell content to form two daughter cells. The cell cycle progresses in four stages—the cell increases in size (gap 1 or G1-phase), duplicates its DNA (synthesis or S-phase), prepares to divide (gap 2 or G2-phase), and divides (mitosis or M-phase).
Two states at the origin of replication
In eukaryotes, the initiation of replication occurs at many sites on the chromosomes, called the origins of replication.
The Replisome03:01

The Replisome

DNA replication is carried out by a large complex of proteins that act in a coordinated matter to achieve high-fidelity DNA replication. Together this complex is known as the DNA replication machinery or the replisome.
The synthesis of the leading and lagging strands is a highly coordinated process. To explain this, the “Trombone model” was proposed by Bruce Alberts in 1980. The DNA loop formation starts when a primer is synthesized on the parent lagging strand. The loop grows with the...
S-Cdk Initiates DNA Replication02:38

S-Cdk Initiates DNA Replication

The cell cycle is a series of events leading to DNA duplication followed by the division of cell content to form two daughter cells. The cell cycle progresses in four stages—the cell increases in size (gap 1 or G1-phase), duplicates its DNA (synthesis or S-phase), prepares to divide (gap 2 or G2-phase), and divides (mitosis or M-phase).
Two states at the origin of replication
In eukaryotes, the initiation of replication occurs at many sites on the chromosomes, called the origins of replication.