Duplex unwinding with DEAD-box proteins.
DEAD-box proteins, which comprise the largest helicase family, are involved in virtually all aspects of RNA metabolism. DEAD-box proteins catalyze diverse ATP-driven functions including the unwinding of RNA secondary structures. In contrast to many well-studied DNA and viral RNA helicases, DEAD-box proteins do not rely on translocation on one of the nucleic acid strands for duplex unwinding, but directly load onto helical regions and then locally pry the strands apart in an ATP-dependent fashion. In this chapter, we outline substrate design and unwinding protocols for DEAD-box proteins and focus on the quantitative evaluation of their unwinding activity.
Department of Biochemistry & Center for RNA Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Eckhard
E
Jankowsky
Andrea
A
Putnam
D001483:Base Sequence; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
D012313:RNA; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases