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The molecular genetics and biochemistry of DNA replication

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Molecular and Cell Biology of the Plant Cell Cycle

Abstract

In the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, genes encoding most of the recognised enzymes of DNA replication and nucleotide biosynthesis have been cloned. Molecular genetic analysis has also identified other genes whose functions are implicated in DNA replication. Reverse genetic studies have shown that three DNA polymerases (I, II & III — homologous to DNA polymerases α, ∊ & δ respectively of multicellular eukaryotes) are essential for viability. All S. cerevisiae genes encoding enzymes of the DNA replication complex are transcriptionally regulated and are co-ordinately expressed at G1/S. Cis- and trans-acing controlling factors have been identified which are conserved in the distantly related fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Studies of plant DNA replication are much less advanced; although many enzyme activities have been detected only DNA polymerases and topoisomerases have been characterised. The existence of DNA polymerase α is well established in many plants. Although DNA polymerase δ has only been purified from wheat, its accessory protein, PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) has been identified in many plants and its gene cloned. A replicative complex has been isolated from pea shoot meristems which contains primase, ribonuclease-H, exonuclease, topoisomerase, protein kinase and DNA-binding activities. However, data are sparse concerning the control of activity of plant DNA replication enzymes at either the transcriptional or post-translational levels.

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Authors
  1. Stephen J. Aves
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  2. John A. Bryant
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. I.C.I. Agrochemicals, Jealott’s Hill Research Station, Bracknell, UK

    J. C. Ormrod

  2. University of Wales, College of Cardiff, UK

    D. Francis

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© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Aves, S.J., Bryant, J.A. (1993). The molecular genetics and biochemistry of DNA replication. In: Ormrod, J.C., Francis, D. (eds) Molecular and Cell Biology of the Plant Cell Cycle. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1789-0_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1789-0_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4787-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1789-0

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