p48 Primase (8G10) Rat mAb #4725

Initiation of eukaryotic DNA replication is a stringently regulated process that requires the cooperation of many proteins and protein complexes to occur efficiently, at the origins of replication, and once per cell cycle. The initiation of DNA replication requires a protein complex composed of two DNA polymerase α subunits and a pair of primase subunits. Primase activity catalyzes de novo synthesis of an RNA/DNA primer (initiator DNA) on the leading and lagging strands, while polymerase activity extends the initiator DNA (1). The 48 and 58 kDa primase subunits cooperate in the synthesis of small RNA primers. p48 is the catalytically active subunit (2), while p58 couples p48 to the polymerase to allow the transfer of primers to the active site. The p58 subunit may also play a role in regulation of primer length (3,4).