A single catalytic heart for replication and transcription in archaea

The first structure of a member of an essential DNA polymerase family (polD) found in archaea, one of the three main 'domains' of life, was recently determined by crystallography by a team involving scientists from the CNRS, the Institut Pasteur and IFREMER. Surprisingly, the catalytic heart of polD, which is responsible for DNA replication, has the same architecture as the RNA polymerases responsible for transcription in all living organisms. This suggests that this small functional domain might have been essential during the transition between the pre-DNA world and the post-DNA world. This study is being published in the journal Nature Communications.

Find out more (in french)

Photo: The Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park contains different types of Archaea.  Each color represents a different type of Archaea adapted to a different temperature.