Synonym(s)
Helicase
DefinitionThis section has been translated automatically.
Group of enzymes that model the structure of nucleic acids. Helicases dissolve the base pairing between two DNA or RNA strands. DNA helicases play a major role in the replication of the genome, where they initiate the duplication of DNA by unwinding the single strands. A distinction is made between DNA and RNA helicases. RNA helicases are essential in almost all processes in RNA metabolism: transcription, RNA processing, translation and RNA degradation.
Clinical pictureThis section has been translated automatically.
Helicase defects are the cause of Progeria adultorum (Werner syndrome) and other progeria (e.g. Cockayne syndrome). Inhibition of the enzyme, e.g. in herpes viruses, could be the starting point for new therapeutic approaches (helicase primase inhibitors).
Prof. Dr. med. Peter Altmeyer