Helicases use the energy of ATP hydrolysis to separate double-stranded nucleic acids to facilitate essential processes such as replication, recombination, transcription and repair. This article focuses on the human RECQ helicase gene and protein family. Loss of function of three different members has been shown to cause Bloom syndrome (BS), Werner syndrome (WS) and Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (RT...

RecQ DNA helicases function during DNA replication and are essential for the maintenance of genome stability. There is increasing evidence that spontaneous genomic instability occurs primarily during DNA replication, and that proteins involved in the S-phase checkpoint are a principal defence against such instability. Cells that lack functional RecQ helicases exhibit phenotypes consistent with ...

The DNA helicase RecQ is required for proper induction of the SOS response to replication stress in Escherichia coli. Unwinding of stalled replication forks by RecQ family helicases in bacteria, and possibly in eukaryotes, may provide a means of damage signaling and recovering stalled replication forks.

RecQ helicases play an important role in the maintenance of genomic stability in pro- and eukaryotes. This is highlighted by the human genetic diseases Werner, Bloom's and Rothmund-Thomson syndrome, caused by respective mutations in three of the five human RECQ genes. The highest numbers of RECQ homologous genes are found in plants, e.g. seven in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, only limited info...

Schizosaccharomyces pombe Rqh1 protein is a member of the RecQ DNA helicase family. Members of this protein family are mutated in several human genome instability syndromes, including Bloom, Werner and Rothmund-Thomson syndromes. RecQ helicases participate in recombination repair of stalled replication forks or DNA breaks, but the precise mechanisms that lead to the development of cancer in the...

Recombinational DNA repair by the RecF pathway of Escherichia coli requires the coordinated activities of RecA, RecFOR, RecQ, RecJ, and single-strand DNA binding (SSB) proteins. These proteins facilitate formation of homologously paired joint molecules between linear double-stranded (dsDNA) and supercoiled DNA. Repair starts with resection of the broken dsDNA by RecQ, a 3'→5' helicase, RecJ, a ...

Disruption of the Rb (retinoblastoma protein)/E2F cell-cycle pathway and Ras activation are two of the most frequent events in cancer, and both of these mutations place oncogenic stress on cells to increase DNA replication. In the present study, we demonstrate that these mutations have an additive effect on induction of members of the RecQ DNA helicase family. RecQ activity is important for gen...

Members of the RecQ helicase superfamily have been implicated in DNA repair, recombination and replication. Although the genome of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes only a single member of this family, there are at least five human RecQ-related genes: RecQL, BLM, WRN, RecQ4 and RecQ5. Mutations in at least three of these are associated with diseases involving a predisposition t...

Members of the conserved RecQ helicase family are important for the preservation of genomic stability. Multiple RecQ homologs within one organism raise the question of functional specialization. Whereas five different homologs are present in humans, the model plant Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) carries seven RecQ homologs in its genome. We performed biochemical analysis of AtRECQ3, expande...

The highly conserved RecQ family of DNA helicases has multiple roles in the maintenance of genome stability. Sgs1, the single RecQ homologue in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, acts both early and late during homologous recombination. Here we present the expression, purification, and biochemical analysis of full-length Sgs1. Unlike the truncated form of Sgs1 characterized previously, full-length Sgs1 ...