Abstact

Human DNA licensing initiates replication fork assembly and DNA replication. This reaction promotes the loading of the hMCM2-7 complex on DNA, which represents the core of the replicative helicase that unwinds DNA during S-phase. Here, we report the reconstitution of human DNA licensing using purified proteins. We showed that the in vitro reaction is specific and results in the assembly of high-salt resistant hMCM2-7 double-hexamers. With ATPγS, an hORC1-5-hCDC6-hCDT1-hMCM2-7 (hOCCM) assembles independent of hORC6, but hORC6 enhances double-hexamer formation. We determined the hOCCM structure, which showed that hORC-hCDC6 recruits hMCM2-7 via five hMCM winged-helix domains. The structure highlights how hORC1 activates the hCDC6 ATPase and uncovered an unexpected role for hCDC6 ATPase in complex disassembly. We identified that hCDC6 binding to hORC1-5 stabilises hORC2-DNA interactions and supports hMCM3-dependent recruitment of hMCM2-7. Finally, the structure allowed us to locate cancer-associated mutations at the hCDC6-hMCM3 interface, which showed specific helicase loading defects.