Molecule stops DNA replication in its tracks
Monday, October 20, 2008 - 14:23
in Biology & Nature
(PhysOrg.com) -- When a dividing cell duplicates its genetic material, a molecular machine called a sliding clamp travels along the DNA double helix, tethering the proteins that perform the replication. Researchers from the laboratory of Rockefeller University`s Michael O'Donnell, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, have discovered a small molecule that stops the sliding clamp in its tracks. The finding will enable scientists to better study the proteins that duplicate DNA, and may ultimately provide a platform for developing improved antibiotics.