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Primus inter pares (First among equals)

Nature Structural Biology volume 8, pages 2–4 (2001)Cite this article

Priming of DNA replication in eukaryotes is carried out by a heterotetrameric complex known as pol α–primase. The structure of the Pyrococcus furiosus RNA polymerase subunit of this complex shows that priming is carried out by unrelated proteins in archaea/eukarya and eubacteria, provides insights into the mechanism of action of a novel RNA polymerase, and raises new questions regarding the ancestry of priming and replication in the three domains of life.

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Figure 1: Comparison of bacterial and eukaryotic/archaeal priming mechanisms.
Figure 2: Comparison of P. furiosus and E. coli primase with canonical nucleic acid polymerases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 229 Stanley Hall #3206, Berkeley, 94720, California, USA

    James L. Keck & James M. Berger

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  1. James L. Keck
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  2. James M. Berger
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Correspondence to James M. Berger.

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Keck, J., Berger, J. Primus inter pares (First among equals). Nat Struct Mol Biol 8, 2–4 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/82996

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