title: PCNA, the maestro of the replication fork.
abstract: Inheritance requires genome duplication, reproduction of chromatin and its epigenetic information, mechanisms to ensure genome integrity, and faithful transmission of the information to progeny. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-a cofactor of DNA polymerases that encircles DNA-orchestrates several of these functions by recruiting crucial players to the replication fork. Remarkably, many factors that are involved in replication-linked processes interact with a particular face of PCNA and through the same interaction domain, indicating that these interactions do not occur simultaneously during replication. Switching of PCNA partners may be triggered by affinity-driven competition, phosphorylation, proteolysis, and modification of PCNA by ubiquitin and SUMO.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Am Klopferspitz 18 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
authors.forename: George-Lucian
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Moldovan
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pfander
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jentsch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000235:genetics; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000235:genetics*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D042822:Genomic Instability / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D016196:S Phase / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase