Pre-replicative complexes (pre-RCs), containing the helicase Mcm2-7, are assembled on origins of replication during G1 phase of the cell cycle. This ‘licenses’ origins for subsequent activation during S-phase. The loading of the Mcm2-7 complex requires ATP hydrolysis and the licensing factors ORC, Cdc6 and Cdt1, and results in the assembly of a head-to-head double hexamer of Mcm2-7 bound around duplex DNA. To understand how the Mcm2-7 complex is loaded into a double hexamer, we need a better understanding of the stoichiometry and positioning of licensing factors relative to each other during pre-RC assembly. To address this, I used a tagging and immunoaffinity purification strategy. For this purpose, I generated purified protein preparations where subunits of the licensing proteins were fused to either a 9x Myc or a 3x FLAG tag. These proteins were tested for their ability to support loading of the Mcm2-7 complex in vitro. I used the tagged proteins in an established in vitro pre-RC assembly assay coupled with an immunoaffinity purification approach. I found that in the absence of ATP hydrolysis, one molecule each of ORC, Cdc6 and Cdt1 recruit a single Mcm2- 7 hexamer to origin DNA. Using an ATPase mutant, I showed that ATP hydrolysis by Cdc6 is not required for Mcm2-7 double hexamer formation. I found that a conserved C-terminal region of Mcm3 is critical for Mcm2-7 recruitment to ORCCdc6- DNA. Mutations in this C-terminal domain were lethal in vivo and inhibited Mcm2-7 loading onto origin DNA in vitro. I used the tagged proteins coupled with crosslinking and denaturing immunoaffinity purifications and found that Mcm3 interacts with Orc2 and Cdc6 during Mcm2-7/Cdt1 recruitment to ORC-Cdc6-DNA. The results of this thesis suggest that Mcm2-7 is recruited to origin DNA via Mcm3 interaction with Orc2 and Cdc6 and that the Mcm2-7 hexamers are loaded in a sequential manner.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:626679 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Mehanna, A. |
| Publisher | University College London (University of London) |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1419641/ |
Page generated in 0.002 seconds