Forging Ahead through Darkness: PCNA, Still the Principal Conductor at the Replication Fork.
Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) lies at the center of the faithful duplication of eukaryotic genomes. With its distinctive doughnut-shaped molecular structure, PCNA was originally studied for its role in stimulating DNA polymerases. However, we now know that PCNA does much more than promote processive DNA synthesis. Because of the complexity of the events involved, cellular DNA replication poses major threats to genomic integrity. Whatever predicament lies ahead for the replication fork, PCNA is there to orchestrate the events necessary to handle it. Through its many protein interactions and various post-translational modifications, PCNA has far-reaching impacts on a myriad of cellular functions.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
Katherine N
KN
Choe
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA. Electronic address: glm29@psu.edu.
George-Lucian
GL
Moldovan
D000818:Animals; D004261:DNA Replication; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000378:metabolism; D042822:Genomic Instability; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011487:Protein Conformation
D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase
DNA repair; DNA replication; PCNA; SUMO; chromatin; genomic stability; translesion synthesis; ubiquitin