Single-strand binding protein
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A single-strand binding protein is able to bind to single stranded DNA during the process of DNA semi-conservative replication. It prevents the two DNA strands that are being used as templates reannealing to one another[1].
Single-strand binding (SSB) proteins work together with DNA helicase to unwind the helix and expose the template bases. SSB proteins assist helicase by stabilising the unwound, single-strand conformation. They also prevent short hairpin helices from forming by straightening out single-stranded DNA on the lagging strand[2]. SSB binds ssDNA tightly since it has a greater affinity for ssDNA than dsDNA.