title: Single strand binding proteins increase the processivity of DNA unwinding by the hepatitis C virus helicase.
abstract: The nonstructural NS3 protein of the hepatitis C virus is a multifunctional enzyme with an N-terminal serine protease activity and a C-terminal helicase activity. The helicase is capable of unwinding both DNA and RNA duplexes; however, the overall processivity of the helicase is fairly low. We show here that single-strand binding (SSB) proteins enhance the unwinding processivity of both the NS3 helicase domain (NS3h) and the full-length protease-helicase NS3-4A. The detailed study of the effect of SSB on the DNA unwinding activity of NS3h indicates that the SSB stabilizes the helicase at the unwinding junction and prevents its dissociation. These results suggest a potential role for either cellular or virus-encoded SSB protein in improving the processivity of the NS3 in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, UMDNJ, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
authors.forename: Vaishnavi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rajagopal
authors.forename: Smita S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Patel
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004265:DNA Helicases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000201:enzymology*; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases
chemical_list: D004247:DNA; D004265:DNA Helicases; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C084422:NS3 protein, hepatitis C virus; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases