Anti-PCNA

Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen,commonly known as PCNA,is a protein that acts as a processivity factor for DNA polymerase d in eukaryotic cells. This protein is an auxiliary protein of DNA polymerase delta and is involved in the control of eukaryotic DNA replication by increasing the polymerase's processibility during elongation of the leading strand. PCNA induces a robust stimulatory effect on the 3'-5' exonuclease and 3'-phosphodiesterase,but not apurinic-apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease,APEX2 activities. It has to be loaded onto DNA in order to be able to stimulate APEX2. PCNA protein is highly conserved during evolution, the deduced amino acid sequences of rat and human differ by only 4 of 261 amino acids. PCNA has been used as loading control for proliferating cells. Protein function: Component of the general transcription and DNA repair factor IIH (TFIIH) core complex, which is involved in general and transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair (NER) of damaged DNA and, when complexed to TFIIK, in RNA transcription by RNA polymerase II. In NER, TFIIH acts by opening DNA around the lesion to allow the excision of the damaged oligonucleotide and its replacement by a new DNA fragment. In transcription, TFIIH has an essential role in transcription initiation. When the pre- initiation complex (PIC) has been established, TFIIH is required for promoter opening and promoter escape. Phosphorylation of the C-terminal tail (CTD) of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II by the kinase module TFIIK controls the initiation of transcription. [The UniProt Consortium]