Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

DNA replication

Strand separation unravelled

Nature volume 524, pages 166–167 (2015)Cite this article

Subjects

The DNA double helix must be separated into single strands to be duplicated. A structure of the Mcm2–7 helicase enzyme responsible for this activity yields unprecedented insight into how the process is initiated. See Article p.186

The successful replication of double-stranded DNA, an essential part of cell division, depends on a helicase enzyme that separates the two component strands. Although simple helicases have been extensively studied1, much less is known about the complex replicative helicases found in eukaryotes (the group of organisms that includes animals, plants and fungi). But that is about to change. On page 186 of this issue, Li et al.2 capitalize on advances in cryo-electron microscopy3 to resolve the structure of a eukaryotic helicase, Mcm2–7, to a near-atomic resolution of 3.8 ångstroms — around five times higher than the best Mcm2–7 structure reported so far4. Combined with previous studies, this structure indicates how a key step in DNA replication occurs: the initial 'melting' of double-stranded DNA into single strands.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Structure of a strand separator.

Notes

  1. See all news & views

References

  1. Enemark, E. J. & Joshua-Tor, L. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 18, 243–257 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Li, N et al. Nature 524, 186–191 (2015).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Kühlbrandt, W. eLife 3, e03678 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Sun, J. et al. Genes Dev. 28, 2291–2303 (2014).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Bochman, M. L. & Schwacha, A. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 73, 652–683 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Ilves, I., Petojevic, T., Pesavento, J. J. & Botchan, M. R. Mol. Cell 37, 247–258 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Fu, Y. V. et al. Cell 146, 931–941 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Evrin, C. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 106, 20240–20245 (2009).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Remus, D. et al. Cell 139, 719–730 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Gai, D., Chang, Y. P. & Chen, X. S. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 20, 756–762 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Shin, J., Lee, O.-C. & Sung, W. J. Chem. Phys. 142, 155101 (2015).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  12. Tang, G.-Q. & Patel, S. S. Biochemistry 45, 4936–4946 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Kaplan, D. L. & O'Donnell, M. Mol. Cell 15, 453–465 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Schuck, S. & Stenlund, A. Mol. Cell 43, 776–787 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Wessel, R., Schweizer, J. & Stahl, H. J. Virol. 66, 804–815 (1992).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Ticau, S., Friedman, L. J., Ivica, N. A., Gelles, J. & Bell, S. P. Cell 161, 513–525 (2015).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Matthew L. Bochman is in the Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, USA.,

    Matthew L. Bochman

  2. Anthony Schwacha is in the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA.,

    Anthony Schwacha

Authors
  1. Matthew L. Bochman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Anthony Schwacha
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Matthew L. Bochman or Anthony Schwacha.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bochman, M., Schwacha, A. Strand separation unravelled. Nature 524, 166–167 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14643

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature14643

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing