Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 1, 2025

Exploring Caspase Mutations and Post-Translational Modification by Molecular Modeling Approaches
05:56

Exploring Caspase Mutations and Post-Translational Modification by Molecular Modeling Approaches

Published on: October 13, 2022

1.6K

Something's gotta give: How PCNA alters its structure in response to mutations and the implications on cellular

Lynne Dieckman1

  • 1Department of Chemistry, Creighton University, 2500, California Plaza, Omaha, NE, USA.

Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology
|November 8, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is crucial for DNA replication and repair. Studying its mutations reveals insights into its dynamic structure and function in DNA metabolism.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Structural Biology

Background:

  • Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a key protein regulating numerous biochemical processes.
  • PCNA's roles are extensive and continue to expand, making it a critical focus in biological research.
  • Despite extensive study, the quaternary structure and function of PCNA still present unanswered questions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the complex quaternary structure and function of Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA).
  • To gain further insight into the dynamic and accommodating nature of PCNA through the study of amino acid substitutions.
  • To understand why PCNA is central to DNA metabolic pathways.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of amino acid substitutions within the PCNA protein over the last forty years.
  • Combination of phenotypic and structural information from mutant PCNA proteins.

Main Results:

  • Amino acid substitutions provide significant insight into PCNA's structure and function.
  • Phenotypic and structural data reveal the dynamic and accommodating nature of PCNA.
  • Mutant PCNA studies illuminate its central role in DNA metabolic pathways.

Conclusions:

  • Mutational analysis is a powerful tool for understanding PCNA's complex biology.
  • PCNA's adaptability is key to its function at the crossroads of DNA metabolism.
  • Further research into PCNA's structure-function relationship is warranted.
Keywords:
Break-induced replicationChromatin assemblyDNA ReplicationError-free bypassMismatch repairPCNA mutationsProliferating cell nuclear antigenTranslesion synthesisX-ray crystallography

More Related Videos

Using X-ray Crystallography, Biophysics, and Functional Assays to Determine the Mechanisms Governing T-cell Receptor Recognition of Cancer Antigens09:53

Using X-ray Crystallography, Biophysics, and Functional Assays to Determine the Mechanisms Governing T-cell Receptor Recognition of Cancer Antigens

Published on: February 6, 2017

11.7K
Author Spotlight: Deciphering the Role of ATM in Ataxia-Telangiectasia and the Associated Cerebellar Degeneration08:41

Author Spotlight: Deciphering the Role of ATM in Ataxia-Telangiectasia and the Associated Cerebellar Degeneration

Published on: December 27, 2024

1.8K

Related Concept Videos

Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the...
4.9K
DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle02:37

DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle

In response to DNA damage, cells can pause the cell cycle to assess and repair the breaks. However, the cell must check the DNA at certain critical stages during the cell cycle. If the cell cycle pauses before DNA replication, the cells will contain twice the amount of DNA. On the other hand, if cells arrest after DNA replication but before mitosis, they will contain four times the normal amount of DNA. With a host of specialized proteins at their disposal,cells must use the right protein at...
9.7K
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways

Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
6.9K
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells02:53

Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells

Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
6.4K
Positive Regulator Molecules02:39

Positive Regulator Molecules

Mitotic cell division results in daughter cells that exactly resemble the parent cell. However, errors in the DNA replication or distribution of genetic material may lead to genetic mutations that may be passed down to every new cell formed from the resulting abnormal cell. Propagation of such mutant cells is restricted through checkpoint mechanisms present at different stages of the cell cycle. These checkpoints involve regulator molecules that either promote or demote cell cycle events.
6.3K
Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell02:21

Cancers Originate from Somatic Mutations in a Single Cell

Cancer arises from mutations in the critical genes that allow healthy cells to escape cell cycle regulation and acquire the ability to proliferate indefinitely. Though originating from a single mutation event in one of the originator cells, cancer progresses when the mutant cell lines continue to gain more and more mutations, and finally, become malignant. For example, chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) develops initially as a non-lethal increase in white blood cells, which progressively...
13.9K