A cohesin acetylation complex that recognises nicked DNA

A budding yeast cohesin acetylation complex predicted by AlphaFold 3 specifically contacts nicked DNA and positions acetyl-CoA near Smc3 target lysines.

• Why it matters: Stable sister chromatid cohesion depends on replication-coupled acetylation of Smc3, but how the acetyltransferase complex recognizes the replication fork state is unclear.
• What they did: The study used AlphaFold 3 to model a complex of PCNA, Pds5, and Eco1, then tested key reaction-trajectory features with biochemical and genetic experiments.
• The result: The combined AI predictions and wet-bench results confirm the nicked-DNA recognition and conformational adaptations that enable Smc3 acetylation, supporting similar complexes in other eukaryotes including humans.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.