Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42444602›Full record

ArticleNucleic acids research2026

A conserved mechanism for dimerization and activation of superfamily 1A UvrD-family helicases.

Binh Nguyen, Kacey N Mersch, Ankita Chadda, Eric A Galburt, Timothy M Lohman

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nucleic acids research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. A superfamily 1 helicase translocates on double-stranded DNA.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Binh NguyenDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics,Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, 660 S Euclid Ave, Box 8231, MO 63110-1093, United States.
Kacey N MerschDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics,Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, 660 S Euclid Ave, Box 8231, MO 63110-1093, United States.
Ankita ChaddaDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics,Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, 660 S Euclid Ave, Box 8231, MO 63110-1093, United States.
Eric A GalburtDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics,Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, 660 S Euclid Ave, Box 8231, MO 63110-1093, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-4314-3215
Timothy M LohmanDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics,Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, 660 S Euclid Ave, Box 8231, MO 63110-1093, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-6616-2967

Funding

Mechanisms of Helicases, Translocases and SSB Proteins involved in Genome MaintenanceR35GM136632 · NIGMS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Timothy M Lohman · 2020 to 2026
$5.5M
Molecular Mechanisms of Transcription Initiation and DNA RepairR35GM144282 · NIGMS · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Eric A Galburt · 2022 to 2026
$2.4M
NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM136632NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM144282NIH HHS R35 GM136632NIH HHS R35 GM144282
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

DNA helicases are ATP-dependent motor proteins that catalyze duplex DNA unwinding and are involved in DNA repair, recombination, and replication restart. Prominent members of the non-hexameric SF1A UvrD-family helicases are Escherichia coli UvrD, Rep, Bacillus stearothermophilus PcrA, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) UvrD1. SF1A monomers are processive 3'-to-5' single-stranded DNA translocases but need to be activated to become DNA helicases. One mechanism of activation is dimerization. Whereas Rep, UvrD, and PcrA form non-covalent dimers, the Mtb UvrD1 helicase forms a redox-dependent covalent dimer. Dimerization of Mtb UvrD1 occurs between the same regulatory domain (2B) within each subunit stabilized by a disulfide bond formed between the same cysteine (Cys451) within each subunit. Dimerization relieves an inhibitory interaction between the 2B domain and duplex DNA within the monomer-DNA complex. We show here that Rep, UvrD, and PcrA dimerize using the same 2B-2B interface. By placing a Cys residue within the 2B domains of Rep, UvrD, and PcrA in the structurally equivalent position occupied by Cys451 of Mtb UvrD1, all three enzymes form redox-dependent covalent dimers that are constitutively active helicases with increased processivity compared to the non-covalent dimers. Hence, the 2B domain is a general dimerization domain for UvrD-family SF1A helicases.

Indexed as

Bacterial ProteinsDNA HelicasesEscherichia coli ProteinsCysteineDNAEnzyme ActivationEscherichia coliGeobacillus stearothermophilusModels, MolecularMycobacterium tuberculosisProtein DomainsProtein MultimerizationBacterial ProteinsCysteineDNADNA HelicasesEscherichia coli ProteinspcrA protein, Bacteriarep protein, E coliUvrD protein, E coli

Identifiers

PMID42444602
PMCPMC13365976

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.