These results give new insight into the B. subtilis replisome and also raise some interesting new questions. Thanks to all the students who made this possible, and to Xindan Wang and Nick Sawyer for a great collaboration between our labs! (4/4)

Combining biochemistry, microbiological assays, and in vivo single-molecule fluorescence imaging, we show that the PolC-DnaN interaction is essential. But surprisingly, although DnaE binds DnaN weakly, that interaction is entirely dispensable for replication. (3/4)

Unlike the model species E. coli, B. subtilis has two essential replicative pols, PolC and DnaE. They must exchange frequently in replication, but it’s not clear how their activity is coordinated. We investigated the role of PolC and DnaE interactions with the clamp in replication. (2/4)