Helicase–primase complex explained

A helicase–primase complex (also helicase-primase, Hel/Prim, H-P or H/P) is a complex of enzymes including DNA helicase and DNA primase. A helicase-primase associated factor protein may also be present.^[1]

The complex is used by herpesviruses, in which it is responsible for lytic DNA virus replication.^{[2] [3] [4]} In many dsDNA viruses, primase and helicase are fused into a single polypeptide chain, so that the primase and helicase domains correspond to the N-terminal and C-terminal parts of the protein, respectively.^[5] A helicase-primase inhibitor (HPI) is a drug that blocks this action through acting as an enzyme inhibitor.

List of H-P by virus name

• EBV: helicase:BBLF4 primase: BSLF1 accessory protein:BBLF2/3^[2]

List of H-P inhibitors

• Amenamevir (ASP2151)
• Pritelivir (BAY 57–1293, AIC316)
• BILS 22 BS
• T157602^[6]

Notes and References

1. Book: Encyclopedia of toxicology . 2nd . Philip . Wexler . Bruce D. . Anderson . 978-0-08-054800-5 . 2005 . 1850. Academic Press .
2. Thierry E, Brennich M, Round A, Buisson M, Burmeister WP, Hutin S . Production and characterisation of Epstein-Barr virus helicase-primase complex and its accessory protein BBLF2/3 . Virus Genes . 51 . 2 . 171–81 . October 2015 . 26292944 . 10.1007/s11262-015-1233-6 . 18462846 .
3. Book: Hans-Georg . Kräusslich . Ralf . Bartenschlager . Antiviral Strategies . 2 December 2008. Springer Science & Business Media. 978-3-540-79086-0. 162–8.
4. Ph.D. . Cavanaugh . Nisha Angele . University of Colorado at Boulder . Herpes DNA Synthesis: Initiation of New DNA Strands and Discrimination Between Right and Wrong Bases by the Polymerase. 2008 . 978-0-549-67366-8. 2–12.
5. Kazlauskas D, Krupovic M, Venclovas Č . The logic of DNA replication in double-stranded DNA viruses: insights from global analysis of viral genomes . Nucleic Acids Research . 44 . 10 . 4551–64 . June 2016 . 27112572 . 4889955 . 10.1093/nar/gkw322 .
6. Weller SK, Kuchta RD . The DNA helicase-primase complex as a target for herpes viral infection . Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Targets . 17 . 10 . 1119–32 . October 2013 . 23930666 . 4098783 . 10.1517/14728222.2013.827663 .