Reconstitution of the Mcm2-7p Heterohexamer, subunit arrangement, and ATP site architecture

The Mcm2-7p heterohexamer is the presumed replicative helicase in eukaryotic cells. Each of the six subunits is required for replication. We have purified the six Saccharomyces cerevisiae MCM proteins as recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli and have reconstituted the Mcm2-7p complex from individual subunits. Study of MCM ATPase activity demonstrates that no MCM protein hydrolyzes ATP efficiently. ATP hydrolysis requires a combination of two MCM proteins. The fifteen possible pairwise mixtures of MCM proteins yield only three pairs of MCM proteins that produce ATPase activity. Study of the Mcm3/7p ATPase shows that an essential arginine in Mcm3p is required for hydrolysis of the ATP bound to Mcm7p. Study of the pairwise interactions between MCM proteins connects the remaining MCM proteins to the Mcm3/7p pair. The data predict which subunits in the ATPase pairs bind the ATP that is hydrolyzed and indicate the arrangement of subunits in the Mcm2-7p heterohexamer.