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DNA helicases: Enzymes with essential roles in all aspects of DNA metabolism
Author(s) -
Matson Steven W.,
Bean Daniel W.,
George James W.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.950160103
Subject(s) - helicase , dna , dna repair , biology , dna replication , eukaryotic dna replication , circular bacterial chromosome , replication protein a , control of chromosome duplication , genetics , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , biophysics , chemistry , computational biology , gene , dna binding protein , rna , transcription factor
DNA helicases catalyze the disruption of the hydrogen bonds that hold the two strands of double‐stranded DNA together. This energy‐requiring unwinding reaction results in the formation of the single‐stranded DNA required as a template or reaction intermediate in DNA replication, repair and recombination. A combination of biochemical and genetic studies have been used to probe and define the roles of the multiple DNA helicases found in E. coli. This work and similar efforts in eukaryotic cells, although far from complete, have established that DNA helicases are essential components of the machinery that interacts with the DNA molecule.