DNA replication requirements
DNA replication prime role
duplicate base sequence of the parent DNA
Semi conservative vs. Conservative
S.C. first proposed by Watson and Crick (no enzyme action, could not prove their theory)
At the time: denaturation & strand separation thought to be impossible.
reasons denaturation/strand separation thought to be impossible:
a. Time for helix to unwind (large value) - wrong data
b. MW of DNA not halved by denaturation - wrong data
c. Length of DNA vs. length of cell - DNA to long (DNA 600x longer than cell in E. coli) to separate in short cell, result: conservative replication
Meselson-Stahl Experiment
determine conservative or semi-conservative replication
Method to distinguish between parental and daughter strands
proved semi-conservative replication
Meselson-Stahl Experiment 1
1 round of replication, then CsCl density centrifugation.
Meselson-Stahl Experiment 2
showed structure of first generation DNA
denatured, then CsCl density gradient - hybrid molecule with one strand heavy, one strand light
John Cairns in early 1960’s
Circular DNA
grew cells in media w/[3H] thymidine, isolated DNA w/o fragmentation, placed it on photographic film (3H decay exposed one silver grain) (3 months for end of exp.)
Indicated DNA replicated as circle
theta replication
DNA replicated as circle
Enzymology of DNA Replication
1957 - Arthur Kornberg discovered
DNA polymerase (Pol I)
Pol I required
2. Template - SS-DNA to be copied
Pol III
requires 5’-triphosphates + DNA template
Pol I Functions
3’–>5’ exonuclease activity
(running backwards) if error in DNA synthesis adds nucleotide to 3’OH that won’t H bond to template base, then must be removed before synthesis continues.
a. terminates polymerizing action -
Pol I Functions 3’–>5’
removes base *proofreading or editing function - post synthetic function
Pol I Functions 5’–>3’ exonuclease activity
a. nucleotides removed from 5’P end (also work on nicks if a 5’-P is present)
b. more than one can be removed, base paired to be removed
c. ribo- or deoxribo- sugar type
main function - remove ribonucleotide primers
nick translation
move nicks around the molecule - can start replication at a nick in DNA
strand displacement
at a nick
growing strand displaces the parental strand, mechanism of genetic recombination.
other Pol can do it, with aid of auxillary proteins
excision
repair system to repair damaged DNA
polymerizes
fill in short ss regions on DS-DNA
Pol I functions
exonuclease activity nick translation strand displacement excision polymerizes
Polymerase III or Pol III (not as much is known)
pol III holoenzyme
enzyme + 6 other proteins associated with it.
holoenzyme
several subunits, some activity when one or more are missing