Single-Stranded DNA-Dependent ATPase from HeLa Cells That Stimulates DNA Polymerase α-Primase Activity: Purification and Characterization of the ATPase

A single-stranded DNA-dependent ATPase that cofractionates during the early stages of purification of a multiprotein DNA polymerase α complex from HeLa cells has been purified to homogeneity. The ATPase is part of a 16S multienzyme DNA polymerase α complex that is fully active in SV40 DNA replication in vitro. The ATPase hydrolyzes ATP to ADP in a reaction that is completely dependent on the presence of DNA. DNA in single-stranded form is strongly preferred as a cofactor, and polydeoxy- nucleotides with adenine or thymidine residues are highly effective. Glycerol gradient sedimentation showed that the purified ATPase sedimented at an S_20,W of 7 S, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions reveals two polypeptides with relative molecular weights of 83 000 and 68 000. Both of these polypeptides have purine nucleotide binding sites as revealed by photoaffinity cross-linking experiments. ATP binds to the two subunits more efficiently than GTP, and CTP or UTP does not cross-link with the two polypeptides. DNA synthesis catalyzed by purified HeLa cell DNA polymerase α-primase is stimulated in the presence of ATPase and ATP at an optimum concentration of 2 mM. Analysis of the DNA product by gel electrophoresis indicates that with poly(dT) but not phage M13 DNA as template the ATPase overcomes a lag and decreases the length of nascent DNA chains synthesized by the DNA polymerase a-primase complex.