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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Oct 2.
Published in final edited form as: Structure. 2013 Mar 7;21(4):658–664. doi: 10.1016/j.str.2013.02.002

Figure 3.

Figure 3

Comparison among the PolIIIα-τc-DNA complex (the open form), the apo-PolIIIα, and the closed form (PolIIIα-DNA complex). τc is omitted here. (A) Superimposition of the structure of the open form (magenta) and that of the apo (blue) on their PHP, palm, fingers, and β-binding domains shows the differences in the positions of the CTD and the thumb domain. (B–D) Electrostatic surface representations of the polymerase molecules in these forms are displayed by PyMOL. (B) The gate, labeled with a green circle, of the PolIIIα-τc-DNA complex is open and the potential DNA binding groove faces away from the active site cavity. The gates in the apo (C) and the PolIIIα-DNA complex (D) are closed. (E) The significant structural differences between the open form (magenta) and the closed form (yellow) are seen in the orientations of the CTD, the thumb domain, the β-binding domain, and DNA by superimposing their PHP, palm and fingers domains. The DNA substrates in them are green and red respectively.