Getting a grip on how DNA polymerases function

Nature Structural Biology volume 8, pages656–659(2001)Cite this article

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DNA polymerases play a central role in maintenance of genetic information, and the structures of polymerases in complex with DNA and dNTP provide valuable insights into mechanisms utilized by DNA polymerases to achieve high fidelity. Comparison of several high resolution complexes of DNA polymerases bound with relevant substrates indicates that the two major families of polymerases function by very similar mechanisms.

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Figure 1: Structural comparison of family A and B polymerases.
Figure 2: Comparison of the active sites of family A and B polymerases.

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Acknowledgements

We are very grateful to C. Verlinde for help with structural illustrations.

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Affiliations

  1. the Joseph Gottstein Memorial Cancer Laboratory, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, 98195-7705, Washington, USA

    • Premal H. Patel
    •  & Lawrence A. Loeb

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Correspondence to Premal H. Patel or Lawrence A. Loeb.

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Patel, P., Loeb, L. Getting a grip on how DNA polymerases function. Nat Struct Mol Biol 8, 656–659 (2001) doi:10.1038/90344

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