Replicative DNA polymerases
Replicative polymerases are key enzymes for genome duplication. Using one strand of the DNA as a template they work as efficient molecular motors, catalyzing the incorporation of the corresponding complementary nucleotide in each position.
We have developed a variety of single-molecule manipulation assays to:
- Study the dynamics of the intramolecular processes responsible for keeping the fidelity of the DNA copy (in Carlos Bustamante Lab, UC Berkley) Ibarra B et al, EMBO J 2009.
- Quantify the DNA unwinding mechanism of the polymerase during replication. Morin J et al, PNAS 2012; Morin J et al, Cell Cycle 2012.
- Determine the mechanisms used by replicative polymerases to couple thermal and chemical energy to mechanical stepping along the DNA, Morin et al NAR 2015.
