Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Hybrid Ensemble and Single-molecule Assay to Image the Motion of Fully Reconstituted CMG
Published on: July 26, 2024
Different residues on the surface of the Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus MCM helicase interact with single-
Nozomi Sakakibara1, Rajesh Kasiviswanathan, Zvi Kelman
1Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. sakakibaran@niaid.nih.gov
Abstract:
The minichromosome maintenance (MCM) complex is thought to function as the replicative helicase in archaea, separating the two strands of chromosomal DNA during replication. The catalytic activity resides within the C-terminal region of the MCM protein, while the N-terminal portion plays an important role in DNA binding and protein multimerization. An alignment of MCM homologues from several archaeal species revealed a number of conserved amino acids. Here several of the conserved residues located on the surface of the helicase have been mutated and their roles in MCM functions determined. It was found that some mutations result in increased affinity for ssDNA while the affinity for dsDNA is decreased. Other mutants exhibit the opposite effect. Thus, the data suggest that these conserved surface residues may participate in MCM-DNA interactions.
Related Concept Videos
DNA Helicases
Homologous Recombination
Single-Strand DNA Binding Proteins
Mismatch Repair
The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch Repair
The human genome has more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Prior to cell division, that vast amount of genetic...
Mismatch Repair
DNA Topoisomerases
Types and Mechanism of action
Topoisomerases are divided into two main types. Type I...

