A coordinated sequence of RNA helicases and associated factors dismantles normal and defective spliceosome complexes to enable intron degradation and ensure accurate gene expression.

The human long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) RMRP, initially identified as part of the RNase MRP complex, is linked to various human diseases. However, it...

A coordinated sequence of RNA helicases and associated factors dismantles normal and defective spliceosome complexes to enable intron degradation and ensure accurate gene expression.

Functional dissection of G-quadruplex–induced replication stress uncovers complementary telomeric roles of BLM and FANCJ helicases and identifies FANCJ loss as a vulnerability that increases telomere damage and sensitivity to G4-stabilizing agents.

Abstract. Replicative helicases need loader proteins to assemble at DNA replication origins. Multiple copies of the bacteriophage λP (P) loader bind and lo

A coordinated sequence of RNA helicases and associated factors dismantles normal and defective spliceosome complexes to enable intron degradation and ensure accurate gene expression.

Abstract. Replicative helicases need loader proteins to assemble at DNA replication origins. Multiple copies of the bacteriophage λP (P) loader bind and lo

Cryo-electron microscopy structures of human and nematode spliceosomes show that the disassembly of this complex is initiated by the licensing of the disassembly helicase to act on the catal...

DNA replication relies on hexameric, ring-shaped helicases to unwind parental DNA for supporting fork progression over tens of thousands of base pairs. Oddly, biochemical studies have suggested that, on their own, replicative helicases are rather limited motors that struggle to couple rapid movement to nucleotide turnover (typically believed to be solely ATP). Here, single-molecule studies reveal that when properly loaded, the Escherichia coli (E. coli) replicative helicase, DnaB, is a tremendously fast single-stranded DNA translocase that moves up to three times more rapidly than the replisome (3 knt/s). Translocation is highly processive, resistant to pulling force/high salt, and can displace short, 3’-tailed DNA duplexes without apparent changes in speed. Surprisingly, we find that the loader for DnaB, DnaC, can use any rNTP or dATP for depositing DnaB onto ssDNA and that the helicase itself also must hydrolyze nucleotide for stable loading. DnaB translocation also turns out to be s

Cameron et al. show that dormant pre-replication complexes are removed upon collision with replication forks in Xenopus egg extracts. They identify FANCJ and RTEL1 as key factors in this process and show in human cells that loss of both helicases leads to pre-replication complex retention and replication stress.