Giant proteins that move DNA: bullies of the genomic playground.
As genetic material DNA is wonderful, but as a macromolecule it is unruly, voluminous and fragile. Without the action of DNA replicases, topoisomerases, helicases, translocases and recombinases, the genome would collapse into a topologically entangled random coil that would be useless to the cell. We discuss the organization, movement and energetics of these proteins that are crucial to the preservation of a molecule that has such beautiful biological but challenging physical properties.
Cozzarelli
Nicholas R
NR
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-3204, USA.
Cost
Gregory J
GJ
Nöllmann
Marcelo
M
Viard
Thierry
T
Stray
James E
JE
D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D004247:DNA