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Researchers from InstaDeep Ltd and Imperial College London have been studying how our DNA is copied during DNA replication. This process is crucial for maintaining the stability of our genetic material. The researchers specifically studied a protein called DDK, which plays an important role in starting the DNA replication process.
The team used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) at Diamond to visualise the structure of DDK and how it interacts with another protein called MCM2-71.
Understanding how DDK interacts with MCM2-7, and activates the replication process, is important in understanding how our DNA is copied accurately.
Furthermore, the insights gained from this research could be used to design drugs that specifically block DDK in cancer cells, offering potential new treatment options for cancer.
Find out what they discovered.
1 MCM2-7 unwinds the DNA strands so they can be copied.
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