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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 280, Issue 13, 12351-12358, April 1, 2005

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Identification of a Novel Helicase Activity Unwinding Branched DNAs from the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon, Pyrococcus furiosus^*

Ryosuke Fujikane¶, Kayoko Komori, Hideo Shinagawa¶, and Yoshizumi Ishino||

From the Department of Genetic Resources Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan, the Department of Molecular Biology, Biomolecular Engineering Research Institute, Suita, Osaka 565-0874, Japan, and the ^¶Department of Molecular Microbiology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan

To identify the branch migration activity in archaea, we fractionated Pyrococcus furiosus cell extracts by several chromatography and assayed for ATP-dependent resolution of synthetic Holliday junctions. The target activity was identified in the column fractions, and the optimal reaction conditions for the branch migration activity were determined using the partially purified fraction. We successfully cloned the corresponding gene by screening a heat-stable protein library made by P. furiosus genomic DNA. The gene, hjm (Holliday junction migration), encodes a protein composed of 720 amino acids. The Hjm protein is conserved in Archaea and belongs to the helicase superfamily 2. A homology search revealed that Hjm shares sequence similarity with the human Pol, HEL308, and Drosophila Mus308 proteins, which are involved in a DNA repair, whereas no similar sequences were found in bacteria and yeast. The Hjm helicase may play a central role in the repair systems of organisms living in extreme environments.

Received for publication, November 29, 2004 , and in revised form, January 11, 2005.

^* This work was supported in part by the Japan New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization. This work was also supported in part by a Grant-in Aid from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sports (to Y. I. and H. S.). The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

^|| Supported by the Human Frontier Science Program. To whom correspondence should be addressed: Dept. of Genetic Resources Technology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, 6-10-1 Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan. Tel.: 81-92-642-4217; Fax: 81-92-642-3051; E-mail: ishino{at}agr.kyushu-u.ac.jp.

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