Link to Pubmed [PMID] – 33847950
Link to HAL – pasteur-03685321
Link to DOI – 10.1007/978-1-0716-1290-3_2
Single Stranded DNA Binding Proteins, 2281, Springer US; Springer US, pp.23-47, 2021, Methods in Molecular Biology, 978-1-07-161290-3. ⟨10.1007/978-1-0716-1290-3_2⟩
Single-stranded (ss) DNA-binding proteins are found in all three domains of life where they play vital roles in nearly all aspects of DNA metabolism by binding to and stabilizing exposed ssDNA and acting as platforms onto which DNA-processing activities can assemble. The ssDNA-binding factors SSB and RPA are extremely well conserved across bacteria and eukaryotes, respectively, and comprise one or more OB-fold ssDNA-binding domains. In the third domain of life, the archaea, multiple types of ssDNA-binding protein are found with a variety of domain architectures and subunit compositions, with OB-fold ssDNA-binding domains being a characteristic of most, but not all. This chapter summarizes current knowledge of the distribution, structure, and biological function of the archaeal ssDNA-binding factors, highlighting key features shared between clades and those that distinguish the proteins of different clades from one another. The likely cellular functions of the proteins are discussed and gaps in current knowledge identified.