Answer: Enzyme
What type of biological molecule is a DNA helicase?

Helicase - Wikipedia

ATP synthase - Wikipedia

Helicase - Wikipedia

Nucleic acid tertiary structure - Wikipedia

Helicases are often used to separate strands of a DNA double helix or a self-annealed RNA molecule using the energy from ATP hydrolysis a process characterized by the breaking of hydrogen bonds between annealed nucleotide bases. They also function to remove nucleic acid-associated proteins and catalyze homologous DNA recombination. Metabolic processes of RNA such as translation transcription ribosome biogenesis RNA splicing RNA transport RNA editing and RNA degradation are all facilitated by helicases. Helicases move incrementally along one nucleic acid strand of t…

Helicases are often used to separate strands of a DNA double helix or a self-annealed RNA molecule using the energy from ATP hydrolysis a process characterized by the breaking of hydrogen bonds between annealed nucleotide bases. They also function to remove nucleic acid-associated proteins and catalyze homologous DNA recombination. Metabolic processes of RNA such as translation transcription ribosome biogenesis RNA splicing RNA transport RNA editing and RNA degradation are all facilitated by helicases. Helicases move incrementally along one nucleic acid strand of the duplex with a directionality and processivity specific to each particular enzyme. Helicases adopt different structures and oligomerization states. Whereas DnaB-like helicases unwind DNA as ring-shaped hexamers other enzymes have been shown to be active as monomers or dimers. Studies have shown that helicases may act passively waiting for uncatalyzed unwinding to take place and then translocating between displaced strands or can play an active role in catalyzing strand separation using the energy generated in ATP hydrolysis. In the latter case the helicase acts comparably to an active motor unwinding and translocating along its substrate as a direct result of its ATPase activity. Helicases may process much faster in vivo than in vitro due to the presence of accessory proteins that aid in the destabilization of the fork junction. Enzymatic helicase action such as unwinding nucleic acids is achieved through the lowering of the activation barrier (${\displaystyle B}$) of each specific action. The activation barrier is a result of various factors and can be defined using the following equation where ${\displaystyle N}$ = number of unwound base pairs (bps) ${\displaystyle \Delta G_{bp}}$ = free energy of base pair formation

Both have roles dependent on the relative rotation of a macromolecule within the pore; the DNA helicases use the helical shape of DNA to drive thei...

 This free site is ad-supported. Learn more
​