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.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Dual engines moving on antiparallel tracks

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology volume 10, pages 499–500 (2003)Cite this article

Two recent papers provide evidence that the Escherichia coli RecBCD complex, which unwinds double-stranded DNA to supply a substrate for recombination, has two helicase subunits that bind opposite DNA strands and move with opposite unwinding 'polarities'.

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

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

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

Figure 1: Models depicting four unwinding reaction mechanisms for DNA helicases.

References

  1. Matson, S.W., George, J.W. & Bean, D.W. BioEssays 16, 13–22 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Lohman, T.M. & Bjornson, K.P. (1996) Annu. Rev. Biochem. 65, 169–214 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Taylor, A.F. & Smith, G.R. Nature 423, 889–893 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Dillingham, M.S., Spies, M. & Kowalczykowski, S.C. Nature 423, 893–897 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Taylor, A.F. & Amith. G.F. Cell 22, 447–457 (1980).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Phillips, R.J., Hickleton, C.D., Boehmer, P.E. & Emmerson, P.T. Mol. Gen. Genet. 254, 319–329 (1997).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Yarronton, G.T. & Gefter, M.L. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 76, 1658–1662 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Velankar, S.S., Soultanos, P., Dillingham, M.S. Subramanya, H.S. & Wigley, D.B. Cell 97:75–84 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Wong, I. & Lohman, T.M. Science 256, 350–355 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Patel, S.S. & Picha, K.M. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 69, 651–697 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Geider, K. & Hoffmann-Berling, H. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 50, 233–260 (1981).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Bianco, P.R. et al. Nature 409, 374–378 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Anderson, D.G. & Kowalczykowski, S.C. Cell 90:77–86 (1997).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. van Brabant, A.J., Stan, R. & Ellis, N.A. Annu. Rev. Genomics Hum. Genet. 1, 409–459 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and the Curriculum in Genetics & Molecular Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 27599, North Carolina, USA

    Steven W Matson

Authors
  1. Steven W Matson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Matson, S. Dual engines moving on antiparallel tracks. Nat Struct Mol Biol 10, 499–500 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsb0703-499

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nsb0703-499

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