Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 26, 2026

Author Spotlight: Investigating the Motion Dynamics of the Eukaryotic Replisome Components at the Single-Molecule Level
Published on: July 26, 2024
Unique Roles of the Non-identical MCM Subunits in DNA Replication Licensing
Yuanliang Zhai1, Ningning Li2, Hanlun Jiang3
1Division of Life Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Institute for Advanced Study, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Abstract:
A family of six homologous subunits, Mcm2, -3, -4, -5, -6, and -7, each with its own unique features, forms the catalytic core of the eukaryotic replicative helicase. The necessity of six similar but non-identical subunits has been a mystery since its initial discovery. Recent cryo-EM structures of the Mcm2-7 (MCM) double hexamer, its precursors, and the origin recognition complex (ORC)-Cdc6-Cdt1-Mcm2-7 (OCCM) intermediate showed that each of these subunits plays a distinct role in orchestrating the assembly of the pre-replication complex (pre-RC) by ORC-Cdc6 and Cdt1.
Related Concept Videos
Restarting Stalled Replication Forks
S-Cdk Initiates DNA Replication
Two states at the origin of replication
In eukaryotes, the initiation of replication occurs at many sites on the chromosomes, called the origins of...
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 Replisome
Replication in Eukaryotes
Replication in Eukaryotes
Many Proteins Orchestrate Replication at the Origin
Eukaryotic replication follows many of the same...

