Helicases at Work: The Importance of Nucleic Acids Unwinding Under Cold Stress

Separation of duplex strands of nucleic acids is a vital process in the nucleic acid metabolism and survival of all living organisms. Helicases are defined as enzymes that are intended to unwind the double-stranded nucleic acids. Helicases play a prominent role in the cold adaptation of plants and bacteria. Cold stress can increase double-strand DNA breaks, generate reactive oxygen species, cause DNA methylation, and stabilize the secondary structure of RNA molecules. In this review, we discuss how helicases play important roles in adaptive responses to cellular stress caused by low temperature conditions, particularly in bacteria and plants. We also provide a glimpse of the eminence of helicase function over nuclease when an enzyme has both helicase and nuclease functions.