Archaeal DNA Replication: A Robust Model for Eukaryotes

ABSTRACT The Yellowstone National Park environment,plays host to a,range of hyperthermophilic ecosystems. Hot sulfur springs are inhabited by a range of bacterial and archaeal microorganisms. Understanding,how,these organisms,replicate their DNA under such apparently inimical conditions is of inherent interest. Furthermore, the archaeal replication system is proving to be a valuable model for the eukaryotic replication apparatus. With the publishing of the first archaeal genome sequences, it became,apparent that archaea and eukaryotes have closely related machineries,for replication of their genomic,DNA. Many of the key players in the eukaryotic apparatus are present, usually in a simplified form in archaea. The relationship between the archaeal and eukaryotic machineries, coupled with the stripped-down nature of the archaeal complexes and the relative tractability of proteins derived from hyperthermophilic archaea, has led a number of laboratories around the world to focus on archaeal DNA replication as a potentially powerful model,system to reveal the molecular basis of conserved events in replication. In this review, we will discuss recent advances in our understanding of both initiation and elongation phases of archaeal DNA replication. 278 Key Words