helicasecontaining

Helicase-containing is a descriptive term used in molecular biology and genome annotation to refer to proteins or protein complexes that possess a helicase domain or helicase-like activity. Helicases are ATP-dependent molecular motors that unwind nucleic acids by translocating along strands, enabling essential cellular processes such as DNA replication, repair, recombination, transcription, and RNA processing. Proteins described as helicase-containing often feature one or more helicase motifs within larger multi-domain architectures.

Most helicases are classified into superfamilies SF1–SF6 based on sequence motifs and structural features. They can be DNA helicases or RNA helicases and may display different directional polarities, such as 3′ to 5′ or 5′ to 3′ unwinding. Some helicases function as oligomeric assemblies, like hexamers, that encircle nucleic acids. In many chromatin remodelers, the helicase domain is part of a larger SNF2-like ATPase module, making the whole protein helicase-containing even if it operates primarily as a remodeler rather than a classical helicase.

Biological roles of helicase-containing proteins are diverse, including unwinding at replication forks, processing DNA during repair and recombination, resolving R-loops, and contributing to transcriptional regulation and RNA processing. Notable human helicase-containing proteins include BLM and WRN (Bloom and Werner syndromes), the RECQL family, and FANCJ, as well as bacterial UvrD/PcrA. Chromatin remodelers such as BRG1 and BRM are also considered helicase-containing due to their helicase-like ATPase domains.

Clinically, mutations in helicase-containing proteins can cause genome instability disorders and predispose to cancer; inhibitors targeting helicase activity are explored in cancer therapy. In bioinformatics, annotation often identifies a protein as helicase-containing when it contains conserved Walker motifs and a recognizable helicase core within a broader domain architecture.

See also: helicase, DNA helicase, RNA helicase.