NORMAL GENOMIC

• Stuckey R, Garcia-Rodriguez N, Aguilera A, Wellinger RE
• Role for RNA:DNA hybrids in origin-independent replication priming in a eukaryotic system.
• Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015; 112: 5779-84
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• DNA replication initiates at defined replication origins along eukaryotic chromosomes, ensuring complete genome duplication within a single S-phase. A key feature of replication origins is their ability to control the onset of DNA synthesis mediated by DNA polymerase-alpha and its intrinsic RNA primase activity. Here, we describe a novel origin-independent replication process that is mediated by transcription. RNA polymerase I transcription constraints lead to persistent RNA:DNA hybrids (R-loops) that prime replication in the ribosomal DNA locus. Our results suggest that eukaryotic genomes have developed tools to prevent R-loop-mediated replication events that potentially contribute to copy number variation, particularly relevant to carcinogenesis.

• Naue N, Beerbaum M, Bogutzki A, Schmieder P, Curth U
• The helicase-binding domain of Escherichia coli DnaG primase interacts with the highly conserved C-terminal region of single-stranded DNA-binding protein.
• Nucleic Acids Res. 2013; 41: 4507-17
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• During bacterial DNA replication, DnaG primase and the chi subunit of DNA polymerase III compete for binding to single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB), thus facilitating the switch between priming and elongation. SSB proteins play an essential role in DNA metabolism by protecting single-stranded DNA and by mediating several important protein-protein interactions. Although an interaction of SSB with primase has been previously reported, it was unclear which domains of the two proteins are involved. This study identifies the C-terminal helicase-binding domain of DnaG primase (DnaG-C) and the highly conserved C-terminal region of SSB as interaction sites. By ConSurf analysis, it can be shown that an array of conserved amino acids on DnaG-C forms a hydrophobic pocket surrounded by basic residues, reminiscent of known SSB-binding sites on other proteins. Using protein-protein cross-linking, site-directed mutagenesis, analytical ultracentrifugation and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we demonstrate that these conserved amino acid residues are involved in the interaction with SSB. Even though the C-terminal domain of DnaG primase also participates in the interaction with DnaB helicase, the respective binding sites on the surface of DnaG-C do not overlap, as SSB binds to the N-terminal subdomain, whereas DnaB interacts with the ultimate C-terminus.

• Abdul Rehman SA, Verma V, Mazumder M, Dhar SK, Gourinath S
• Crystal structure and mode of helicase binding of the C-terminal domain of primase from Helicobacter pylori.
• J Bacteriol. 2013; 195: 2826-38
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• To better understand the poor conservation of the helicase binding domain of primases (DnaGs) among the eubacteria, we determined the crystal structure of the Helicobacter pylori DnaG C-terminal domain (HpDnaG-CTD) at 1.78 A. The structure has a globular subdomain connected to a helical hairpin. Structural comparison has revealed that globular subdomains, despite the variation in number of helices, have broadly similar arrangements across the species, whereas helical hairpins show different orientations. Further, to study the helicase-primase interaction in H. pylori, a complex was modeled using the HpDnaG-CTD and HpDnaB-NTD (helicase) crystal structures using the Bacillus stearothermophilus BstDnaB-BstDnaG-CTD (helicase-primase) complex structure as a template. By using this model, a nonconserved critical residue Phe534 on helicase binding interface of DnaG-CTD was identified. Mutation guided by molecular dynamics, biophysical, and biochemical studies validated our model. We further concluded that species-specific helicase-primase interactions are influenced by electrostatic surface potentials apart from the critical hydrophobic surface residues.

• Schwab RA, Nieminuszczy J, Shin-ya K, Niedzwiedz W
• FANCJ couples replication past natural fork barriers with maintenance of chromatin structure.
• J Cell Biol. 2013; 201: 33-48
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• Defective DNA repair causes Fanconi anemia (FA), a rare childhood cancer-predisposing syndrome. At least 15 genes are known to be mutated in FA; however, their role in DNA repair remains unclear. Here, we show that the FANCJ helicase promotes DNA replication in trans by counteracting fork stalling on replication barriers, such as G4 quadruplex structures. Accordingly, stabilization of G4 quadruplexes in DeltaFANCJ cells restricts fork movements, uncouples leading- and lagging-strand synthesis and generates small single-stranded DNA gaps behind the fork. Unexpectedly, we also discovered that FANCJ suppresses heterochromatin spreading by coupling fork movement through replication barriers with maintenance of chromatin structure. We propose that FANCJ plays an essential role in counteracting chromatin compaction associated with unscheduled replication fork stalling and restart, and suppresses tumorigenesis, at least partially, in this replication-specific manner.

• Rymer RU et al.
• Binding mechanism of metalNTP substrates and stringent-response alarmones to bacterial DnaG-type primases.
• Structure. 2012; 20: 1478-89
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• Primases are DNA-dependent RNA polymerases found in all cellular organisms. In bacteria, primer synthesis is carried out by DnaG, an essential enzyme that serves as a key component of DNA replication initiation, progression, and restart. How DnaG associates with nucleotide substrates and how certain naturally prevalent nucleotide analogs impair DnaG function are unknown. We have examined one of the earliest stages in primer synthesis and its control by solving crystal structures of the S. aureus DnaG catalytic core bound to metal ion cofactors and either individual nucleoside triphosphates or the nucleotidyl alarmones, pppGpp and ppGpp. These structures, together with both biochemical analyses and comparative studies of enzymes that use the same catalytic fold as DnaG, pinpoint the predominant nucleotide-binding site of DnaG and explain how the induction of the stringent response in bacteria interferes with primer synthesis.

• Im DW, Kim TO, Jung HY, Oh JE, Lee SJ, Heo YS
• Overexpression, crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of the RNA polymerase domain of primase from Streptococcus mutans strain UA159.
• Acta Crystallogr Sect F Struct Biol Cryst Commun. 2012; 68: 98-100
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• Primase is the enzyme that synthesizes RNA primers on single-stranded DNA during normal DNA replication. In this study, the catalytic core domain of primase from Streptococcus mutans UA159 was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized. Diffraction data were collected to 1.60 A resolution using a synchrotron-radiation source. The crystal belonged to space group P4(1) or P4(3), with unit-cell parameters a = b = 52.63, c = 110.31 A. The asymmetric unit is likely to contain one molecule, with a corresponding V(M) of 1.77 A(3) Da(-1) and a solvent content of 30.7%.

• Vaithiyalingam S, Warren EM, Eichman BF, Chazin WJ
• Insights into eukaryotic DNA priming from the structure and functional interactions of the 4Fe-4S cluster domain of human DNA primase.
• Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010; 107: 13684-9
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• DNA replication requires priming of DNA templates by enzymes known as primases. Although DNA primase structures are available from archaea and bacteria, the mechanism of DNA priming in higher eukaryotes remains poorly understood in large part due to the absence of the structure of the unique, highly conserved C-terminal regulatory domain of the large subunit (p58C). Here, we present the structure of this domain determined to 1.7-A resolution by X-ray crystallography. The p58C structure reveals a novel arrangement of an evolutionarily conserved 4Fe-4S cluster buried deeply within the protein core and is not similar to any known protein structure. Analysis of the binding of DNA to p58C by fluorescence anisotropy measurements revealed a strong preference for ss/dsDNA junction substrates. This approach was combined with site-directed mutagenesis to confirm that the binding of DNA occurs to a distinctively basic surface on p58C. A specific interaction of p58C with the C-terminal domain of the intermediate subunit of replication protein A (RPA32C) was identified and characterized by isothermal titration calorimetry and NMR. Restraints from NMR experiments were used to drive computational docking of the two domains and generate a model of the p58C-RPA32C complex. Together, our results explain functional defects in human DNA primase mutants and provide insights into primosome loading on RPA-coated ssDNA and regulation of primase activity.

• Zhang Y, Yang F, Kao YC, Kurilla MG, Pompliano DL, Dicker IB
• Homogenous assays for Escherichia coli DnaB-stimulated DnaG primase and DnaB helicase and their use in screening for chemical inhibitors.
• Anal Biochem. 2002; 304: 174-9
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• Escherichia coli DnaG primase is a single-stranded DNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Primase catalyzes the synthesis of a short RNA primer to initiate DNA replication at the origin and to initiate Okazaki fragment synthesis for synthesis of the lagging strand. Primase activity is greatly stimulated through its interaction with DnaB helicase. Here we report a 96-well homogeneous scintillation proximity assay (SPA) for the study of DnaB-stimulated E. coli primase activity and the identification of E. coli primase inhibitors. The assay uses an adaptation of the general priming reaction by employing DnaG primase, DnaB helicase, and ribonucleotidetriphosphates (incorporation of [(3)H]CTP) for in vitro primer synthesis on single-stranded oligonucleotide and M13mp18 DNA templates. The primase product is captured by polyvinyl toluene-polyethyleneimine-coated SPA beads and quantified by counting by beta-scintography. In the absence of helicase as a cofactor, primer synthesis is reduced by 85%. The primase assay was used for screening libraries of compounds previously identified as possessing antimicrobial activities. Primase inhibitory compounds were then classified as direct primase inhibitors or mixed primase/helicase inhibitors by further evaluation in a specific assay for DnaB helicase activity. By this approach, specific primase inhibitors could be identified.

• Bruand C, Farache M, McGovern S, Ehrlich SD, Polard P
• DnaB, DnaD and DnaI proteins are components of the Bacillus subtilis replication restart primosome.
• Mol Microbiol. 2001; 42: 245-55
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• Phenotypes of Bacillus subtilis priA mutants suggest that they are deficient in the restart of stalled chromosomal replication forks. The presumed activity of PriA in the restart process is to promote the assembly of a multiprotein complex, the primosome, which functions to recruit the replication fork helicase onto the DNA. We have proposed previously that three proteins involved in the initiation of replication at oriC in B. subtilis, DnaB, DnaD and DnaI, are components of the PriA primosome in this bacterium. However, the involvement of these proteins in replication restart has not yet been studied. Here, we describe dnaB mutations that suppress the phenotypes of B. subtilis priA mutants. In a representative mutant, the DnaC helicase is loaded onto single-stranded DNA in a PriA-independent, DnaD- and DnaI-dependent manner. These observations confirm that DnaB, DnaD and DnaI are primosomal proteins in B. subtilis. Moreover, their involvement in the suppression of priA phenotypes shows that they participate in replication fork restart in B. subtilis.

• Seitz H, Weigel C, Messer W
• The interaction domains of the DnaA and DnaB replication proteins of Escherichia coli.
• Mol Microbiol. 2000; 37: 1270-9
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• The initiation of chromosome replication in Escherichia coli requires the recruitment of the replicative helicase DnaB from the DnaBC complex to the unwound region within the replication origin oriC, supported by the oriC-bound initiator protein DnaA. We defined physical contacts between DnaA and DnaB that involve residues 24-86 and 130-148 of DnaA and residues 154-210 and 1-156 of DnaB respectively. We propose that contacts between DnaA and DnaB occur via two interaction sites on each of the proteins. Interaction domain 24-86 of DnaA overlaps with its N-terminal homo-oligomerization domain (residues 1-86). Interaction domain 154-210 of DnaB overlaps or is contiguous with the domains known to interact with plasmid initiator proteins. Loading of the DnaBC helicase in vivo can only be performed by DnaA derivatives containing (in addition to residues 24-86 and the DNA-binding domain 4) a structurally intact domain 3. Nucleotide binding by domain 3 is, however, not required. The parts of DnaA required for replication of pSC101 were clearly different from those used for helicase loading. Domains 1 and 4 of DnaA, but not domain 3, were found to be involved in the maintenance of plasmid pSC101.

• Dallmann HG, Kim S, Pritchard AE, Marians KJ, McHenry CS
• Characterization of the unique C terminus of the Escherichia coli tau DnaX protein. Monomeric C-tau binds alpha AND DnaB and can partially replace tau in reconstituted replication forks.
• J Biol Chem. 2000; 275: 15512-9
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• A contact between the dimeric tau subunit within the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme and the DnaB helicase is required for replication fork propagation at physiologically-relevant rates (Kim, S., Dallmann, H. G., McHenry, C. S., and Marians, K. J. (1996) Cell 84, 643-650). In this report, we exploit the OmpT protease to generate C-tau, a protein containing only the unique C-terminal sequences of tau, free of the sequences shared with the alternative gamma frameshifting product of dnaX. We have established that C-tau is a monomer by sedimentation equilibrium and sedimentation velocity ultracentrifugation. Monomeric C-tau binds the alpha catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase III with a 1:1 stoichiometry. C-tau also binds DnaB, revealed by a coupled immunoblotting method. C-tau restores the rapid replication rate of inefficient forks reconstituted with only the gamma dnaX gene product. The acceleration of the DnaB helicase can be observed in the absence of primase, when only leading-strand replication occurs. This indicates that C-tau, bound only to the leading-strand polymerase, can trigger the conformational change necessary for DnaB to assume the fast, physiologically relevant form.

• Sandler SJ, Marians KJ
• Role of PriA in replication fork reactivation in Escherichia coli.
• J Bacteriol. 2000; 182: 9-13

• Klann AG, Belanger AE, Abanes-De Mello A, Lee JY, Hatfull GF
• Characterization of the dnaG locus in Mycobacterium smegmatis reveals linkage of DNA replication and cell division.
• J Bacteriol. 1998; 180: 65-72
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• We have isolated a UV-induced temperature-sensitive mutant of Mycobacterium smegmatis that fails to grow at 42 degrees C and exhibits a filamentous phenotype following incubation at the nonpermissive temperature, reminiscent of a defect in cell division. Complementation of this mutant with an M. smegmatis genomic library and subsequent subcloning reveal that the defect lies within the M. smegmatis dnaG gene encoding DNA primase. Sequence analysis of the mutant dnaG allele reveals a substitution of proline for alanine at position 496. Thus, dnaG is an essential gene in M. smegmatis, and DNA replication and cell division are coupled processes in this species. Characterization of the sequences flanking the M. smegmatis dnaG gene shows that it is not part of the highly conserved macromolecular synthesis operon present in other eubacterial species but is part of an operon with a dgt gene encoding dGTPase. The organization of this operon is conserved in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae, suggesting that regulation of DNA replication, transcription, and translation may be coordinated differently in the mycobacteria than in other bacteria.

• Park K, Debyser Z, Tabor S, Richardson CC, Griffith JD
• Formation of a DNA loop at the replication fork generated by bacteriophage T7 replication proteins.
• J Biol Chem. 1998; 273: 5260-70
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• Intermediates in the replication of circular and linear M13 double-stranded DNA by bacteriophage T7 proteins have been examined by electron microscopy. Synthesis generated double-stranded DNA molecules containing a single replication fork with a linear duplex tail. A complex presumably consisting of T7 DNA polymerase and gene 4 helicase/primase molecules was present at the fork together with a variable amount of single-stranded DNA sequestered by gene 2.5 single-stranded DNA binding protein. Analysis of the length distribution of Okazaki fragments formed at different helicase/primase concentrations was consistent with coupling of leading and lagging strand replication. Fifteen to forty percent of the templates engaged in replication have a DNA loop at the replication fork. The loops are fully double-stranded with an average length of approximately 1 kilobase. Labeling with biotinylated dCTP showed that the loops consist of newly synthesized DNA, and synchronization experiments using a linear template with a G-less cassette demonstrated that the loops are formed by active displacement of the lagging strand. A long standing feature of models for coupled leading/lagging strand replication has been the presence of a DNA loop at the replication fork. This study provides the first direct demonstration of such loops.

• Learn BA, Um SJ, Huang L, McMacken R
• Cryptic single-stranded-DNA binding activities of the phage lambda P and Escherichia coli DnaC replication initiation proteins facilitate the transfer of E. coli DnaB helicase onto DNA.
• Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997; 94: 1154-9
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• The bacteriophage lambda P and Escherichia coli DnaC proteins are known to recruit the bacterial DnaB replicative helicase to initiator complexes assembled at the phage and bacterial origins, respectively. These specialized nucleoprotein assemblies facilitate the transfer of one or more molecules of DnaB helicase onto the chromosome; the transferred DnaB, in turn, promotes establishment of a processive replication fork apparatus. To learn more about the mechanism of the DnaB transfer reaction, we investigated the interaction of replication initiation proteins with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). These studies indicate that both P and DnaC contain a cryptic ssDNA-binding activity that is mobilized when each forms a complex with the DnaB helicase. Concomitantly, the capacity of DnaB to bind to ssDNA, as judged by UV-crosslinking analysis, is suppressed upon formation of a P x DnaB or a DnaB x DnaC complex. This novel switch in ssDNA-binding activity evoked by complex formation suggests that interactions of P or DnaC with ssDNA may precede the transfer of DnaB onto DNA during initiation of DNA replication. Further, we find that the lambda O replication initiator enhances interaction of the P x DnaB complex with ssDNA. Partial disassembly of a ssDNA:O x P x DnaB complex by the DnaK/DnaJ/GrpE molecular chaperone system results in the transfer in cis of DnaB to the ssDNA template. On the basis of these findings, we present a general model for the transfer of DnaB onto ssDNA or onto chromosomal origins by replication initiation proteins.

• Stephens KM, McMacken R
• Functional properties of replication fork assemblies established by the bacteriophage lambda O and P replication proteins.
• J Biol Chem. 1997; 272: 28800-13
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• We have used a set of bacteriophage lambda and Escherichia coli replication proteins to establish rolling circle DNA replication in vitro to permit characterization of the functional properties of lambda replication forks. We demonstrate that the lambda replication fork assembly synthesizes leading strand DNA chains at a physiological rate of 650-750 nucleotides/s at 30 degrees C. This rate is identical to the fork movement rate we obtained using a minimal protein system, composed solely of E. coli DnaB helicase and DNA polymerase III holoenzyme. Our data are consistent with the conclusion that these two key bacterial replication proteins constitute the basic functional unit of a lambda replication fork. A comparison of rolling circle DNA replication in the minimal and lambda replication systems indicated that DNA synthesis proceeded for more extensive periods in the lambda system and produced longer DNA chains, which averaged nearly 200 kilobases in length. The higher potency of the lambda replication system is believed to result from its capacity to mediate efficient reloading of DnaB helicase onto rolling circle replication products, thereby permitting reinitiation of DNA chain elongation following spontaneous termination events. E. coli single-stranded DNA-binding protein and primase individually stimulated rolling circle DNA replication, but they apparently act indirectly by blocking accumulation of inhibitory free single-stranded DNA product. Finally, in the course of this work, we discovered that E. coli DNA polymerase III holoenzyme is itself capable of carrying out significant strand displacement DNA synthesis at about 50 nucleotides/s when it is supplemented with E. coli single-stranded DNA-binding protein.

• Tougu K, Marians KJ
• The interaction between helicase and primase sets the replication fork clock.
• J Biol Chem. 1996; 271: 21398-405
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• The synthesis of an Okazaki fragment occurs once every 1-2 s at the Escherichia coli replication fork and requires precise coordination of the enzymatic activities required. We have shown previously that the primase is recruited anew from solution for each cycle of Okazaki fragment synthesis and that association of primase with the replication fork is via a protein-protein interaction with the helicase, DnaB. We describe here mutant primases that have an altered interaction with DnaB and that direct the synthesis of Okazaki fragments of altered length compared to the wild-type. The mutant primases were deficient only in their ability to participate in replication reactions where their entry to the DNA was provided by the initial protein-protein interaction with DnaB. The primer synthesis capacity of these proteins remained unaffected, as was their ability to interact with the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme. Neither replication fork rate nor the efficiency of primer utilization was affected at replication forks programmed by the mutant enzymes. Thus, the interaction between DnaG and DnaB at the replication fork is the primary regulator of the cycle of Okazaki fragment synthesis.

• Saluja D, Godson GN
• Biochemical characterization of Escherichia coli temperature-sensitive dnaB mutants dnaB8, dnaB252, dnaB70, dnaB43, and dnaB454.
• J Bacteriol. 1995; 177: 1104-11
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• By use of PCR, the dnaB genes from the classical temperature-sensitive dnaB mutants PC8 (dnaB8), RS162 (dnaB252), CR34/454 (dnaB454), HfrH165/70 (dnaB70), and CR34/43 (dnaB43) were isolated. The mutant genes were sequenced, and single amino acid changes were identified in all cases. The mutant DnaB proteins were overexpressed in BL21 (DE3) cells by using the T7 based pET-11c expression vector system. The purified proteins were compared in regard to activities in the general priming reaction of primer RNA synthesis (with primase and single-stranded DNA [ssDNA] as the template), ATPase activity, and helicase activity at permissive (30 degrees C) and nonpermissive (42 degrees C) temperatures. The DnaB252 mutation is at amino acid 299 (Gly to Asp), and in all in vitro assays the DnaB252 protein was as active as the wild-type DnaB protein at both 30 and 42 degrees C. This region of the DnaB protein is believed to be involved in interaction with the DnaC protein. The dnaB8, dnaB454, and dnaB43 mutations, although independently isolated in different laboratories, were all at the same site, changing amino acid 130 from Ala to Val. This mutation is in the hinge region of the DnaB protein domains and probably induces a temperature-sensitive conformational change. These mutants have negligible primer RNA synthesis, ATPase activity, and helicase activity at the nonpermissive temperature. DnaB70 has a mutation at amino acid 242 (Met to Ile), which is close to the proposed ATP binding site. At 30 degrees C this mutant protein has a low level of ATPase activity (approximately 25% of that of the wild type) which is not affected by high temperature. By using a gel shift method that relies upon ssDNA substrates containing the photoaffinity analog 5-(N-(p-azidobenzoyl)-3-aminoallyl)-dUMP, all mutant proteins were shown to bind to ssDNA at both 30 and 42 degrees C. Their lack of other activities at 42 degrees C, therefore, is not due to loss of binding to the ssDNA substrate.

• Saitoh A, Tada S, Katada T, Enomoto T
• Stimulation of mouse DNA primase-catalyzed oligoribonucleotide synthesis by mouse DNA helicase B.
• Nucleic Acids Res. 1995; 23: 2014-8
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• Many prokaryotic and viral DNA helicases involved in DNA replication stimulate their cognate DNA primase activity. To assess the stimulation of DNA primase activity by mammalian DNA helicases, we analyzed the synthesis of oligoribonucleotides by mouse DNA polymerase alpha-primase complex on single-stranded circular M13 DNA in the presence of mouse DNA helicase B. DNA helicase B was purified by sequential chromatography through eight columns. When the purified DNA helicase B was applied to a Mono Q column, the stimulatory activity for DNA primase-catalyzed oligoribonucleotide synthesis and DNA helicase and DNA-dependent ATPase activities of DNA helicase B were co-eluted from the column. The synthesis of oligoribonucleotides 5-10 nt in length was markedly stimulated by DNA helicase B. The synthesis of longer species of oligoribonucleotides, which were synthesized at a low level in the absence of DNA helicase B, was inhibited by DNA helicase B. The stimulatory effect of DNA helicase B was marked at low template concentrations and little or no effect was observed at high concentrations. The mouse single-stranded DNA binding protein, replication protein A (RP-A), inhibited the primase activity of the DNA polymerase alpha-primase complex and DNA helicase B partially reversed the inhibition caused by RP-A.

• Tougu K, Peng H, Marians KJ
• Identification of a domain of Escherichia coli primase required for functional interaction with the DnaB helicase at the replication fork.
• J Biol Chem. 1994; 269: 4675-82
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• Primase plays a key role in governing the sequence of events required on the lagging strand during a cycle of Okazaki fragment synthesis. To begin to probe the protein-protein interactions necessary for primase function at the replication fork, we have used limited trypsinolysis to separate primase into two functional domains, an N-terminal domain of 49 kDa (p49) and a carboxyl-terminal domain of 16 kDa (p16). p49 retained primase activity in replication assays that utilized bacteriophage M13 DNA carrying the bacteriophage G4 origin of DNA replication as the template, but was inactive during general priming or the conversion of phi X174 single-stranded circular (ss(c))-DNA to the replicative form (RF) and could not support lagging-strand DNA synthesis at replication forks reconstituted with the phi X-type primosomal proteins and the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme. On the other hand, p16 inhibited those replication reactions that included the replication fork helicase, DnaB (general priming, phi X174 ss(c)-->RF, and at the replication fork), but had no effect on those that did not (M13Gori ss(c)-->RF). These results demonstrate that p49 defines a domain of primase required for catalytic activity, that p16 defines a domain of primase required for functional interaction with DnaB, and that it is a protein-protein interaction with DnaB that attracts primase to the replication fork.

• Sun W, Tormo J, Steitz TA, Godson GN
• Domains of Escherichia coli primase: functional activity of a 47-kDa N-terminal proteolytic fragment.
• Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1994; 91: 11462-6
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• Endoproteinase Asp-N cleaves the 581-amino acid Escherichia coli primase (65,564 Da) into several major fragments. One of these, a 47-kDa fragment containing the complete N terminus and the first 422 amino acids of primase, is capable of primer RNA (pRNA) synthesis in the G4oric/single-stranded DNA binding protein/primase pRNA synthesis system. A cloned 398-amino acid N-terminal fragment of primase can also synthesize pRNA. The sizes of the pRNA synthesized by these N-terminal fragments, however, are smaller than those synthesized by intact primase, suggesting that the C-terminal region of primase plays a role in processivity or regulation of pRNA synthesis. Primase mutants with the last 10 and 40 C-terminal amino acids deleted synthesize pRNA as wild-type primase, indicating that any regulatory sequences must be internal to the C terminus of primase.

• Allen GC Jr, Dixon NE, Kornberg A
• Strand switching of a replicative DNA helicase promoted by the E. coli primosome.
• Cell. 1993; 74: 713-22
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• The E. coli primosome assembles at an origin on a single-stranded DNA, like that of phi X174, to promote replication of that template. Upon conversion to the duplex form, the primosome can generate a rolling circle product from this template. Rolling circle synthesis implies the transfer of the DnaB helicase from its initial loading site on the viral strand to a displaced complementary strand. Isolated primosomes promote only unit-length synthesis; supplementation with PriC, DnaC, and DnaT is necessary to reconstitute rolling circle synthesis. Rolling circle replication is sensitive to salts, whereas primosome assembly and unit-length synthesis are not. Thus, the primosome promotes two distinct reactions: assembly for first-round synthesis and strand switching for rolling circle synthesis.

• Murakami Y, Hurwitz J
• Functional interactions between SV40 T antigen and other replication proteins at the replication fork.
• J Biol Chem. 1993; 268: 11008-17
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• The functional interaction of simian virus 40 (SV40) large tumor antigen (T antigen) with DNA polymerase alpha (pol alpha)-primase complex, human single-stranded DNA binding protein (HSSB), and DNA polymerase delta (pol delta) holoenzyme, which includes pol delta, activator I (also called replication factor C), and proliferating cell nuclear antigen, at the replication fork was examined using the purified components that support SV40 DNA replication. Dilution of reaction mixtures during RNA primer synthesis revealed that T antigen remained associated continuously with the fork, while the pol alpha-primase complex dissociated from the complex during oligoribonucleotide synthesis. T antigen unwound duplex DNA from the SV40 core origin at a rate of 200 base pairs/min. Pol alpha-primase complex inhibited the rate of the unwinding reaction, and HSSB, pol alpha, and primase were all required for this effect. These requirements are the same as those essential for DNA primase-catalyzed oligoribonucleotide synthesis (Matsumoto, T., Eki, T., and Hurwitz, J. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 87, 9712-9716). This result suggests that the pol alpha-primase complex interacts with T antigen and HSSB during the unwinding reaction to synthesize RNA primers and that the interaction decreases the rate of T antigen movement. While pol delta holoenzyme can elongate primed DNA chains at a rate of 400-600 nucleotides/min on singly primed phi X174 DNA, the rate of the leading strand synthesis catalyzed by pol delta holoenzyme in the SV40 replication system in vitro was about 200 nucleotides/min. This rate was similar to the unwinding rate catalyzed by T antigen. Thus, the rate of leading strand synthesis catalyzed by pol delta holoenzyme in vitro appears to be limited by the unwinding reaction catalyzed by T antigen.

• Zechner EL, Wu CA, Marians KJ
• Coordinated leading- and lagging-strand synthesis at the Escherichia coli DNA replication fork. II. Frequency of primer synthesis and efficiency of primer utilization control Okazaki fragment size.
• J Biol Chem. 1992; 267: 4045-53
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• To investigate the role of the priming apparatus at the replication fork in determining Okazaki fragment size, the products of primer synthesis generated in vitro during rolling-circle DNA replication catalyzed by the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme, the single-stranded DNA binding protein, and the primosome on a tailed form II DNA template were isolated and characterized. The abundance of oligoribonucleotide primers and the incidence of covalent DNA chain extension of the primer population was measured under different reaction conditions known to affect the size of the products of lagging-strand DNA synthesis. These analyses demonstrated that the factors affecting Okazaki fragment length could be distinguished by either their effect on the frequency of primer synthesis or by their influence on the efficiency of initiation of DNA synthesis from primer termini. Primase and the ribonucleoside triphosphates were found to stimulate primer synthesis. The observed trend toward smaller fragment size as the concentration of these effectors was raised was apparently a direct consequence of the increased frequency of primer synthesis. The beta subunit of the DNA polymerase III holoenzyme and the deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates did not alter the priming frequency; instead, the concentration of these factors influenced the ability of the lagging-strand DNA polymerase to efficiently utilize primers to initiate DNA synthesis. Maximum utilization of the available primers correlated with the lowest mean value of Okazaki fragment length. These data were used to draw general conclusions concerning the temporal order of enzymatic steps that operate during a cycle of Okazaki fragment synthesis on the lagging-strand DNA template.

• Zavitz KH, DiGate RJ, Marians KJ
• The priB and priC replication proteins of Escherichia coli. Genes, DNA sequence, overexpression, and purification.
• J Biol Chem. 1991; 266: 13988-95
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• The Escherichia coli DNA replication proteins n and n" function in vitro in the assembly of the primosome, a mobile multiprotein replication priming complex thought to operate on the lagging-strand template at the E. coli DNA replication fork. Both proteins have been purified from E. coli HMS83 cells based on their requirement for the reconstitution of bacteriophage phi X174 complementary strand DNA synthesis in vitro with purified proteins. As a step toward understanding the role of these proteins in vivo, the genes for primosomal proteins n and n", designated priB and priC, respectively, have been cloned molecularly. priB encodes a 104-amino acid 11.4-kDa polypeptide and corresponds to an previously identified open reading frame between rpsF and rps R within a ribosomal protein operon at 95.5 min on the E. coli chromosome. priC encodes a 175-amino acid 20.3-kDa polypeptide. These two gene products were overexpressed at least 1000-fold in E. coli using a bacteriophage T7 transient expression system. Both proteins have been purified to apparent homogeneity from extracts prepared from these overproducing strains.

• Masai H, Nomura N, Arai K
• The ABC-primosome. A novel priming system employing dnaA, dnaB, dnaC, and primase on a hairpin containing a dnaA box sequence.
• J Biol Chem. 1990; 265: 15134-44
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• A priming mechanism requiring dnaA, dnaB, and dnaC proteins operates on a single-stranded DNA coated with single-stranded DNA-binding protein. This novel priming, referred to as "ABC-priming," requires a specific hairpin structure whose stem carries a dnaA protein recognition sequence (dnaA box). In conjunction with primase and DNA polymerase III holoenzyme, ABC-priming can efficiently convert single-stranded DNA into the duplex replicative form. dnaA protein specifically recognizes and binds the single-stranded hairpin and permits the loading of dnaB protein to form a prepriming protein complex containing dnaA and dnaB proteins which can be physically isolated. ABC-priming can replace phi X174 type priming on the lagging strand template of pBR322 in vitro, suggesting a possible function of ABC-priming for the lagging strand synthesis and duplex unwinding. Similar to the phi X174 type priming, a mobile nature of ABC-priming was indicated by helicase activity in the presence of ATP of a prepriming protein complex formed at the hairpin. The implications of this novel priming in initiation of replication at the chromosomal origin, oriC, and in its contribution to the replication fork are discussed.