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Related Concept Videos

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...
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...
Replication in Eukaryotes02:31

Replication in Eukaryotes

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Replication in Eukaryotes01:29

Replication in Eukaryotes

In eukaryotic cells, DNA replication is highly conserved and tightly regulated. Multiple linear chromosomes must be duplicated with high fidelity before cell division, so there are many proteins that fulfill specialized roles in the replication process. Replication occurs in three phases: initiation, elongation, and termination, and ends with two complete sets of chromosomes in the nucleus.
Many Proteins Orchestrate Replication at the Origin
Eukaryotic replication follows many of the same...
Replication in Eukaryotes01:29

Replication in Eukaryotes

In eukaryotic cells, DNA replication is highly conserved and tightly regulated. Multiple linear chromosomes must be duplicated with high fidelity before cell division, so there are many proteins that fulfill specialized roles in the replication process. Replication occurs in three phases: initiation, elongation, and termination, and ends with two complete sets of chromosomes in the nucleus.
Many Proteins Orchestrate Replication at the Origin
Eukaryotic replication follows many of the same...
Replication in Eukaryotes02:31

Replication in Eukaryotes

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G2-seq: A High Throughput Sequencing-based Technique for Identifying Late Replicating Regions of the Genome
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Published on: March 22, 2018

Why are there so many diverse replication machineries?

Patrick Forterre1

  • 1Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75015, Paris, Institut de Génétique Microbiologie and Univ Paris-Sud, CNRS UMR8621, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France.

Journal of Molecular Biology
|October 1, 2013
PubMed
Summary

DNA replication mechanisms differ across life's domains. Eukaryotic DNA polymerase alpha (Pol α), crucial for telomeres, may have viral origins, suggesting ancient viruses influenced genome complexity.

Keywords:
ArchaeaDNA polymerase alphaDNA replicationLUCAOGREPol αevolutionlast universal common ancestororigin G-rich repeated elementpolymerase alphaviral DNA replication

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • The replicon model spurred DNA replication studies, primarily in bacteria and eukaryotes.
  • Molecular evolution reveals greater biological diversity than previously assumed.
  • Comparative analysis of DNA replication proteins across Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya shows two distinct protein sets.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary origins and diversity of DNA replication mechanisms.
  • To explore the role of DNA polymerase alpha (Pol α) in eukaryotic genome organization.
  • To understand the potential viral contribution to the emergence of complex eukaryotic genomes.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of DNA replication proteins across the three domains of life.
  • Examination of the role of DNA polymerase alpha (Pol α) in eukaryotes.
  • Review of viral DNA replication proteins and their divergence from cellular counterparts.

Main Results:

  • Two distinct sets of non-homologous cellular DNA replication proteins exist: one in Bacteria, another in Archaea and Eukarya.
  • Eukaryotic DNA polymerase alpha (Pol α) is unfaithful and involved in telomere biosynthesis, correlating with telomere presence.
  • Telomere-like structures in eukaryotic replication origins suggest a link with Pol α and chromosome organization.

Conclusions:

  • The last universal common ancestor may have had an RNA genome.
  • DNA polymerase alpha (Pol α) might have originated from a viral mobile element, impacting eukaryotic genome evolution.
  • The diversity of viral replication machinery suggests DNA replication originated and diversified in the ancient virosphere.