RNRs (ribonucleotide reductases) are key players in nucleic acid metabolism, converting ribonucleotides into deoxyribonucleotides. As such, they maintain the intracellular balance of deoxyribonucleotides to ensure the fidelity of DNA replication and repair. The best-studied RNR is the class Ia enzyme from Escherichia coli, which employs two subunits to catalyse its radical-based reaction: β2 houses the diferric-tyrosyl radical cofactor, and α2 contains the active site. Recent applications of biophysical methods to the study of this RNR have revealed the importance of oligomeric state to overall enzyme activity and suggest that unprecedented subunit configurations are in play. Although it has been five decades since the isolation of nucleotide reductase activity in extracts of E. coli, this prototypical RNR continues to surprise us after all these years.
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June 2012
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Conference Article|
May 22 2012
The prototypic class Ia ribonucleotide reductase from Escherichia coli: still surprising after all these years
Edward J. Brignole;
Edward J. Brignole
1
*Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, U.S.A.
†Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, U.S.A.
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Nozomi Ando;
Nozomi Ando
1
*Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, U.S.A.
†Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, U.S.A.
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Christina M. Zimanyi;
Christina M. Zimanyi
†Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, U.S.A.
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Catherine L. Drennan
Catherine L. Drennan
2
*Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, U.S.A.
†Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, U.S.A.
‡Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, U.S.A.
2To whom correspondence should be addressed (emailcdrennan@mit.edu).
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
March 14 2012
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2012 Biochemical Society
2012
Biochem Soc Trans (2012) 40 (3): 523–530.
Article history
Received:
March 14 2012
Citation
Edward J. Brignole, Nozomi Ando, Christina M. Zimanyi, Catherine L. Drennan; The prototypic class Ia ribonucleotide reductase from Escherichia coli: still surprising after all these years. Biochem Soc Trans 1 June 2012; 40 (3): 523–530. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20120081
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