title: On helicases and other motor proteins.
abstract: Helicases are molecular machines that utilize energy derived from ATP hydrolysis to move along nucleic acids and to separate base-paired nucleotides. The movement of the helicase can also be described as a stationary helicase that pumps nucleic acid. Recent structural data for the hexameric E1 helicase of papillomavirus in complex with single-stranded DNA and MgADP has provided a detailed atomic and mechanistic picture of its ATP-driven DNA translocation. The structural and mechanistic features of this helicase are compared with the hexameric helicase prototypes T7gp4 and SV40 T-antigen. The ATP-binding site architectures of these proteins are structurally similar to the sites of other prototypical ATP-driven motors such as F1-ATPase, suggesting related roles for the individual site residues in the ATPase activity.
authors.affiliation: W.M. Keck Structural Biology Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, United States.
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Enemark
authors.forename: Leemor
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Joshua-Tor
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004265:DNA Helicases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020365:RNA Helicases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020409:Molecular Motor Proteins; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D004247:DNA; D004265:DNA Helicases; D020365:RNA Helicases