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- *************************************
- * DNA polymerase family A signature *
- *************************************
-
- Replicative DNA polymerases (EC 2.7.7.7) are the key enzymes catalyzing the
- accurate replication of DNA. They require either a small RNA molecule or a
- protein as a primer for the de novo synthesis of a DNA chain. On the basis of
- sequence similarities a number of DNA polymerases have been grouped together
- [1,2,3] under the designation of DNA polymerase family A. The polymerases that
- belong to this family are listed below.
-
- - Escherichia coli, Bacillus caldotenax and Streptococcus pneumoniae
- polymerase I (gene polA).
- - Thermus aquaticus Taq polymerase.
- - Bacteriophage sp01 polymerase.
- - Bacteriophage sp02 polymerase.
- - Bacteriophage T5 polymerase.
- - Bacteriophage T7 polymerase.
- - Mycobacteriophage L5 polymerase.
- - Yeast mitochondrial polymerase gamma (gene MIP1).
-
- Five regions of similarity are found in all the above polymerases. One of
- these conserved regions, known as 'motif B' [1], is located in a domain which,
- in Escherichia coli polA, has been shown to bind deoxynucleotide triphosphate
- substrates; it contains a conserved tyrosine which has been shown, by photo-
- affinity labelling, to be in the active site; a conserved lysine, also part of
- this motif, can be chemically labelled, using pyridoxal phosphate. We use this
- conserved region as a signature for this family of DNA polymerases.
-
- -Consensus pattern: R-x(2)-[GSA]-K-x(3)-[LIVMFY]-[AGQ]-x(2)-Y-x(2)-[GS]-x(3)-
- [LIVMA]
- -Sequences known to belong to this class detected by the pattern: ALL.
- -Other sequence(s) detected in SWISS-PROT: NONE.
- -Last update: June 1994 / Pattern and text revised.
-
- [ 1] Delarue M., Poch O., Todro N., Moras D., Argos P.
- Protein Eng. 3:461-467(1990).
- [ 2] Ito J., Braithwaite D.K.
- Nucleic Acids Res. 19:4045-4057(1991).
- [ 3] Braithwaite D.K., Ito J.
- Nucleic Acids Res. 21:787-802(1993).
-