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Biochemical characterization of the minichromosome maintenance protein from the archaeon Thermoplasma acidophilum

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Abstract

Minichromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins are thought to function as the replicative helicases in archaea. Studies have shown that the MCM complex from the thermoacidophilic euryarchaeon Thermoplasma acidophilum (TaMCM) has some properties not reported in other archaeal MCM helicases. Here, the biochemical properties of the TaMCM are studied. The protein binds single-stranded DNA, has DNA-dependent ATPase activity and ATP-dependent 3′ → 5′ helicase activity. The optimal helicase conditions with regard to temperature, pH and salinity are similar to the intracellular conditions in T. acidophilum. It is also found that about 1,000 molecules of TaMCM are present per actively growing cell.

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Abbreviations

dsDNA:

Double-stranded DNA

MCM:

Minichromosome maintenance

MtMCM:

Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus MCM

SsMCM:

Sulfolobus solfataricus MCM

ssDNA:

Single-stranded DNA

TaMCM:

Thermoplasma acidophilum MCM

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Nozomi Sakakibara for help with the FPA analysis, Marit S. Madsen for help with culturing T. acidophilum and Dr Lori Kelman for her comments on the manuscript. Research undertaken at CARB was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (MCB-0815646) awarded to Zvi Kelman, and research at UiB was supported by a grant from the Norwegian Research Council (No. 153621/V40) awarded to Nils-Kåre Birkeland.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Bergen, PO Box 7800, 5020, Bergen, Norway

    Gyri Teien Haugland & Nils-Kåre Birkeland

  2. Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, 9600 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA

    Claire R. Rollor & Zvi Kelman

  3. Centre for Geobiology, University of Bergen, PO Box 7800, 5020, Bergen, Norway

    Nils-Kåre Birkeland

Authors
  1. Gyri Teien Haugland
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  2. Claire R. Rollor
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  3. Nils-Kåre Birkeland
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  4. Zvi Kelman
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gyri Teien Haugland.

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Communicated by T. Matsunaga.

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Haugland, G.T., Rollor, C.R., Birkeland, NK. et al. Biochemical characterization of the minichromosome maintenance protein from the archaeon Thermoplasma acidophilum . Extremophiles 13, 81–88 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-008-0198-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00792-008-0198-y

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