Ctf18-RFC and DNA Pol ϵ form a stable leading strand polymerase/clamp loader complex required for normal and perturbed DNA replication.

The eukaryotic replisome must faithfully replicate DNA and cope with replication fork blocks and stalling, while simultaneously promoting sister chromatid cohesion. Ctf18-RFC is an alternative PCNA loader that links all these processes together by an unknown mechanism. Here, we use integrative structural biology combined with yeast genetics and biochemistry to highlight the specific functions that Ctf18-RFC plays within the leading strand machinery via an interaction with the catalytic domain of DNA Pol ϵ.

Capabilities of the Falcon III detector for single-particle structure determination.

Direct electron detectors are an essential asset for the resolution revolution in electron cryo microscopy of biological objects. The direct detectors provide two modes of data acquisition; the counting mode in which single electrons are counted, and the integrating mode in which the signal that arises from the incident electrons is integrated. While counting mode leads to far higher detective quantum efficiency at all spatial frequencies, the integrating mode enables faster data acquisition at higher exposure rates.