title: The xeroderma pigmentosum group B protein ERCC3 produced in the baculovirus system exhibits DNA helicase activity.
abstract: The XPB/ERCC3 gene corrects the nucleotide excision-repair defect in the human hereditary disease xeroderma pigmentosum group B and encodes the largest subunit of the basal transcription factor BTF2/TFIIH. The primary sequence of the XPB/ERCC3 protein features the hallmarks of seven helicase motifs found in many known and putative helicases or helicase-related proteins. Recently, the multiprotein BTF2/TFIIH complex has been found to be associated with DNA helicase activity. To explore the properties and functions of XPB/ERCC3, we have used the baculovirus/insect-cell expression system to produce recombinant protein. We report here the construction and analysis of recombinant baculovirus expressing XPB/ERCC3. The XPB/ERCC3 protein is synthesized at a relatively high level in baculovirus-infected insect cells. While the majority of XPB/ERCC3 end up in the insoluble fraction of insect cell lysates, a minor fraction of recombinant protein is present in soluble form which can be purified under native conditions. We have found that a DNA helicase activity is associated with the purified XPB/ERCC3 protein, suggesting that XPB/ERCC3 may function as a DNA helicase in local unwinding of DNA template both in the context of transcription and nucleotide excision repair.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Molecular Carcinogenesis, Sylvius Laboratories, Leiden University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Siemssen
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Noteborn
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: van der Eb
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D016367:Baculoviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004265:DNA Helicases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D018411:Spodoptera / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection; D014983:Xeroderma Pigmentosum / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C072022:XPBC-ERCC-3 protein; D004265:DNA Helicases