In the absence of ATPase activity, pre-RC formation is blocked prior to MCM2-7 hexamer dimerization.

The origin recognition complex (ORC) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae binds origin DNA and cooperates with Cdc6 and Cdt1 to load the replicative helicase MCM2-7 onto DNA. Helicase loading involves two MCM2-7 hexamers that assemble into a double hexamer around double-stranded DNA. This reaction requires ORC and Cdc6 ATPase activity, but it is unknown how these proteins control MCM2-7 double hexamer formation. We demonstrate that mutations in Cdc6 sensor-2 and Walker A motifs, which are predicted to affect ATP binding, influence the ORC-Cdc6 interaction and MCM2-7 recruitment. In contrast, a Cdc6 sensor-1 mutant affects MCM2-7 loading and Cdt1 release, similar as a Cdc6 Walker B ATPase mutant. Moreover, we show that Orc1 ATP hydrolysis is not involved in helicase loading or in releasing ORC from loaded MCM2-7. To determine whether Cdc6 regulates MCM2-7 double hexamer formation, we analysed complex assembly. We discovered that inhibition of Cdc6 ATPase restricts MCM2-7 association with origin DNA to a single hexamer, while active Cdc6 ATPase promotes recruitment of two MCM2-7 hexamer to origin DNA. Our findings illustrate how conserved Cdc6 AAA+ motifs modulate MCM2-7 recruitment, show that ATPase activity is required for MCM2-7 hexamer dimerization and demonstrate that MCM2-7 hexamers are recruited to origins in a consecutive process.