London Research Institute
-Clare Hall Laboratories-
-Cancer Research UK-
Charity Registration No. 1089464 -Terms and Conditions-
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Molecular Enzymology
London Research Institute -Clare Hall Laboratories- -Cancer Research UK- Charity Registration No. 1089464 -Terms and Conditions- |
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| DNA Helicases |
Helicases utilise the energy of nucleotide hydrolysis to unwind nucleic acid duplexes. They are involved in many aspects of DNA and RNA metabolism, such as replication, recombination, repair and transcription. A large number of putative helicases have been identified through sequence alignment in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. There are several families based on sequence composition, with little sequence homology observed between most classes. In addition, where helicase activity has been demonstrated, they can be classified further according to substrate specificity. 5'-3' helicases require a covalently attached flanking 5' single-stranded (ss) region of nucleic acid, whereas 3'-5' helicases require a 3'ssDNA flanking region. In an attempt to understand the mechanism of these proteins at the molecular level we have been studying members of both classes of helicases using a variety of techniques.
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