title: Simian virus 40 T-antigen DNA helicase is a hexamer which forms a binary complex during bidirectional unwinding from the viral origin of DNA replication.
abstract: The role of simian virus 40 (SV40) large tumor antigen (T antigen) as a DNA helicase at the replication fork was studied. We found that a T-antigen hexamer complex acts during the unidirectional unwinding of appropriate DNA substrates and is localized directly in the center of the fork, contacting the adjacent double strand as well as the emerging single strands. When bidirectional DNA unwinding, initiated at the viral origin of DNA replication, was analyzed, a larger T-antigen complex that is simultaneously active at both branch points of an unwinding bubble was observed. The size and shape of this helicase complex imply that the T-antigen dodecamer complex, assembled at the origin and active in the localized melting of duplex DNA, is subsequently also used to continue DNA unwinding bidirectionally. Then, however, the dodecamer complex does not split into two hexamer subunits that track along the DNA; rather, the DNA is threaded through the intact complex, with the concomitant extrusion of single-stranded loops.
authors.affiliation: Fakultät für Biologie, Universität Konstanz, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wessel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schweizer
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stahl
mesh_terms: D000952:Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001483:Base Sequence; D004265:DNA Helicases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004261:DNA Replication; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D013539:Simian virus 40 / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D000952:Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming; D004279:DNA, Viral; D004265:DNA Helicases