title: Phosphorylation of DNA polymerase alpha-primase by cyclin A-dependent kinases regulates initiation of DNA replication in vitro.
abstract: DNA polymerase alpha-primase is the only known eukaryotic enzyme that can start DNA replication de novo. In this study, we investigated the regulation of DNA replication by phosphorylation of DNA polymerase alpha-primase. The p180 and the p68 subunits of DNA polymerase alpha-primase were phosphorylated using Cyclin A-, B- and E- dependent kinases. This phosphorylation did not influence its DNA polymerase activity on activated DNA, but slightly stimulated primase activity using poly(dT) single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) without changing the product length of primers. In contrast, site-specific initiation of replication on plasmid DNA containing the SV40 origin is affected: Cyclin A-Cdk2 and Cyclin A-Cdc2 inhibited initiation of SV40 DNA replication in vitro, Cyclin B-Cdc2 had no effect and Cyclin E-Cdk2 stimulated the initiation reaction. DNA polymerase alpha-primase that was pre-phosphorylated by Cyclin A-Cdk2 was completely unable to initiate the SV40 DNA replication in vitro; Cyclin B-Cdc2-phosphorylated enzyme was moderately inhibited, while Cyclin E-Cdk2-treated DNA polymerase alpha-primase remained fully active in the initiation reaction.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Biochemie, LMU München, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Voitenleitner
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fanning
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Nasheuer
mesh_terms: D042846:CDC2-CDC28 Kinases; D051357:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D016213:Cyclins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019915:DNA Primase; D004261:DNA Replication; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000378:metabolism; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010957:Plasmids; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012316:RNA Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D013539:Simian virus 40 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016213:Cyclins; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D004279:DNA, Viral; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D042846:CDC2-CDC28 Kinases; D051357:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 2; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; D019915:DNA Primase; D012316:RNA Nucleotidyltransferases