TY - JOUR
T1 - Insight into helicase mechanism and function revealed through single-molecule approaches
AU - Yodh, Jaya G.
AU - Schlierf, Michael
AU - Ha, Taekjip
PY - 2010/5
Y1 - 2010/5
N2 - Helicases are a class of nucleic acid (NA) motors that catalyze NTP-dependent unwinding of NA duplexes into single strands, a reaction essential to all areas of NA metabolism. In the last decade, single-molecule (sm) technology has proven to be highly useful in revealing mechanistic insight into helicase activity that is not always detectable via ensemble assays. A combination of methods based on fluorescence, optical and magnetic tweezers, and flow-induced DNA stretching has enabled the study of helicase conformational dynamics, force generation, step size, pausing, reversal and repetitive behaviors during translocation and unwinding by helicases working alone and as part of multiprotein complexes. The contributions of these sm investigations to our understanding of helicase mechanism and function will be discussed.
AB - Helicases are a class of nucleic acid (NA) motors that catalyze NTP-dependent unwinding of NA duplexes into single strands, a reaction essential to all areas of NA metabolism. In the last decade, single-molecule (sm) technology has proven to be highly useful in revealing mechanistic insight into helicase activity that is not always detectable via ensemble assays. A combination of methods based on fluorescence, optical and magnetic tweezers, and flow-induced DNA stretching has enabled the study of helicase conformational dynamics, force generation, step size, pausing, reversal and repetitive behaviors during translocation and unwinding by helicases working alone and as part of multiprotein complexes. The contributions of these sm investigations to our understanding of helicase mechanism and function will be discussed.
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U2 - 10.1017/S0033583510000107
DO - 10.1017/S0033583510000107
M3 - Article
C2 - 20682090
AN - SCOPUS:77957141376
SN - 0033-5835
VL - 43
SP - 185
EP - 217
JO - Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics
JF - Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics
IS - 2
ER -