Replication protein A

Replication protein A
(heterotrimer)
This is an image of human Replication protein A. From PDB: 1L1O​ Proteopedia protein A Replication protein A
Functiondamaged DNA binding, single-stranded DNA binding
Subunit name Gene Chromosomal locus
Replication protein A1 RPA1 Chr. 17 p13.3
Replication protein A2 RPA2 Chr. 1 p35.3
Replication protein A3 RPA3 Chr. 7 p21.3
Steps in DNA synthesis, with RPA shown

Replication protein A (RPA) is the major protein that binds to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) in eukaryotic cells.[1][2] In vitro, RPA shows a much higher affinity for ssDNA than RNA or double-stranded DNA.[3] RPA is required in replication, recombination and repair processes such as nucleotide excision repair and homologous recombination.[2][4]  It also plays roles in responding to damaged DNA.[4]

  1. ^ Wold MS (1997). "Replication protein A: a heterotrimeric, single-stranded DNA-binding protein required for eukaryotic DNA metabolism". Annual Review of Biochemistry. 66 (1): 61–92. doi:10.1146/annurev.biochem.66.1.61. PMID 9242902.
  2. ^ a b Chen R, Wold MS (December 2014). "Replication protein A: single-stranded DNA's first responder: dynamic DNA-interactions allow replication protein A to direct single-strand DNA intermediates into different pathways for synthesis or repair". BioEssays. 36 (12): 1156–1161. doi:10.1002/bies.201400107. PMC 4629251. PMID 25171654.
  3. ^ Flynn RL, Zou L (August 2010). "Oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding fold proteins: a growing family of genome guardians". Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 45 (4): 266–275. doi:10.3109/10409238.2010.488216. PMC 2906097. PMID 20515430.
  4. ^ a b Caldwell CC, Spies M (October 2020). "Dynamic elements of replication protein A at the crossroads of DNA replication, recombination, and repair". Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 55 (5): 482–507. doi:10.1080/10409238.2020.1813070. PMC 7821911. PMID 32856505.