Speaker
Description
Without DNA replication human life would not be possible because cells would be unable to divide and renew themselves [1]. The enzyme responsible for DNA replication, DNA polymerase, cannot synthesize new DNA de novo from the DNA template [2]. It requires a primer, which is produced by primase [3]. The primary sequence of human primase II contains a binding motive for a [4Fe4S] cluster which has not yet been studied in detail. Therefore, we have used Mössbauer spectroscopy and synchrotron based nuclear forward scattering (NFS) to investigate the electronic properties of the [4Fe4S] cluster. In addition, we have explored the protein with synchrotron based nuclear inelastic scattering (NIS) and accompanying density functional theory (DFT) calculations together with vibrational mode analysis with the aim to identify cluster vibrations which might support an electron transfer function of the cluster.
References
[1] Jens Boenigk, "Boenigk Biologie": Der Begleiter in und durch das Studium, Springer Spektrum, Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE, Heidelberg, 2021, ISBN: 978-3-662-61269-9.
[2] B. Arezi, R.D. Kuchta, "Eukaryotic DNA primase", Trends in Biochemical Sciences 25 (2000) 572–576.
[3] B.E. Weiner, H. Huang, B.M. Dattilo, M.J. Nilges, E. Fanning, W.J. Chazin, "An iron-sulfur cluster in the C-terminal domain of the p58 subunit of human DNA primase", Journal of Biological Chemistry 282 (2007) 33444–33451.
