{"doi":"10.1126/sciadv.adl1739","title":"Structure of the PCNA unloader Elg1-RFC","abstract":"heteropentamer replication factor C (RFC). PCNA encircling duplex DNA is quite stable and is removed from DNA by the dedicated clamp unloader Elg1-RFC. Here, we show the cryo-EM structure of Elg1-RFC in various states with PCNA. The structures reveal essential features of Elg1-RFC that explain how it is dedicated to PCNA unloading. Specifically, Elg1 contains two external loops that block opening of the Elg1-RFC complex for DNA binding, and an \"Elg1 plug\" domain that fills the central DNA binding chamber, thereby reinforcing the exclusive PCNA unloading activity of Elg1-RFC. Elg1-RFC was capable of unloading PCNA using non-hydrolyzable AMP-PNP. Both RFC and Elg1-RFC could remove PCNA from covalently closed circular DNA, indicating that PCNA unloading occurs by a mechanism that is distinct from PCNA loading. Implications for the PCNA unloading mechanism are discussed.","journal":"Science Advances","year":2024,"id":455435,"datarank":0.0,"base_score":0.0,"endowment":0.0,"self_citation_contribution":0.0,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.0,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":6,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":0.9542,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2024-01-01","fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":589648,"name":"Nina Y. Yao","orcid":"0000-0002-4728-6531","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":293032,"name":"Roxana E. Georgescu","orcid":"0000-0002-1882-2358","position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":236568,"name":"Huilin Li","orcid":"0000-0001-8085-8928","position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":293034,"name":"Mike O’Donnell","orcid":"0000-0001-9002-4214","position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":308165,"name":"Fengwei Zheng","orcid":"0000-0002-7139-4831","position":0,"is_corresponding":true}],"reference_count":82,"raw_metadata":null,"created_at":"2026-07-19T02:03:17.458329Z","pmid":"38427736","pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}