Building better polymerases: Engineering the replication of expanded genetic alphabets [Molecular Biophysics]

We describe comparative structural, enzymatic, and molecular dynamics studies of WT and Klentaq variants, complexed with natural or noncanonical substrates. Combining these methods provides insight into how specific amino acid substitutions distant from the active site in a Klentaq DNA polymerase variant (ZP Klentaq) contribute to its ability to replicate UBPs with improved efficiency compared with Klentaq. This approach can therefore serve to guide any future rational engineering of replicative DNA polymerases.

Source: Journal of Biological Chemistry - December 11, 2020 Category: Chemistry Authors: Zahra Ouaray, Steven A. Benner, Millie M. Georgiadis, Nigel G. J. Richards Tags: JBC Reviews Source Type: research