DNA replication licensing factor MCM7 (MCM7)

DNA replication licensing factor MCM7 is a highly conserved component of the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) protein family, forming part of the MCM2-7 heterohexameric complex essential for eukaryotic DNA replication initiation and elongation[2][4][6]. MCM7 acts as a DNA helicase, "licensing" DNA replication to ensure the genome is duplicated only once per cell cycle[1][2][6]. The complex assembles at replication origins during G1 phase, and upon S-phase entry, drives replication fork formation by unwinding DNA. MCM7 is tightly regulated, interacting with cell cycle kinases and tumor suppressor proteins, and is essential for cell proliferation, genome stability, and S-phase checkpoint control[2][3][4]. Overexpression is linked to cancer progression and poor prognosis, making MCM7 both a candidate therapeutic target and a biomarker in oncology[3]. No approved drugs currently target MCM7 directly, but its critical role has made it a target of substantial research interest.

Other names

CDC47P1.1-MCM3PPP1R104CDC47 homologP1CDC47P85MCMPNAS146protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 104minichromosome maintenance deficient 7homolog of S. cerevisiae Cdc47

Not applicable to current drugs; mechanistically, hypothetical drugs could inhibit the helicase activity, disrupt protein-protein interactions within the MCM2-7 complex, or modulate upstream regulators affecting MCM7 expression/function.