Infidelity out in the open.
The crystal structures of DNA polymerase beta in complex with two different mispairs (A-C and T-C) reveal that the two bases stack partially, rather than engage in hydrogen bonding with each other (Krahn et al., this issue of Structure). The N-domain of the polymerase, which is closed when the correct nucleotide pairs with the template base, adopts a partially open conformation suboptimal for catalysis.
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
Sylvie
S
Doublié
D020137:Base Pair Mismatch; D020029:Base Pairing; D003461:Crystallography; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D019951:DNA Polymerase beta / Q000737:chemistry*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011487:Protein Conformation
D004247:DNA; D019951:DNA Polymerase beta