Mechanics and Single-Molecule Interrogation of DNA Recombination.
Published in Annual Review of Biochemistry
An overview of homologous pairing and DNA strand exchange proteins.
Published in Biochimie
Processes fundamental to all models of genetic recombination include the homologous pairing and subsequent exchange of DNA strands. Biochemical analysis of these events has been conducted primarily on the recA protein of Escherichia coli, although proteins which can promote such reactions have been purified from many sources, both prokaryotic and e...
A helicase assay based on the displacement of fluorescent, nucleic acid-binding ligands.
Published in Nucleic Acids Research
We have developed a new helicase assay that overcomes many limitations of other assays used to measure this activity. This continuous, kinetic assay is based on the displacement of fluorescent dyes from dsDNA upon DNA unwinding. These ligands exhibit significant fluorescence enhancement when bound to duplex nucleic acids and serve as the reporter m...
The DNA binding and pairing preferences of the archaeal RadA protein demonstrate a universal characteristic of DNA stran...
Published in Molecular Microbiology
The archaeal RadA protein is a homologue of the Escherichia coli RecA and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rad51 proteins and possesses the same biochemical activities. Here, using in vitro selection, we show that the Sulfolobus solfataricus RadA protein displays the same preference as its homologues for binding to DNA sequences that are rich in G residues...
The reduced levels of chi recognition exhibited by the RecBC1004D enzyme reflect its recombination defect in vivo.
Published in Journal of Biological Chemistry
Homologous recombination in Escherichia coli is initiated by the RecBCD enzyme and is stimulated by an 8-nucleotide element known as Chi (chi). We present a detailed biochemical characterization of a mutant RecBCD enzyme, designated RecBC1004D, that displays a reduced level of chi site recognition. Initially characterized genetically as unable to r...
BRCA2: Shining light on the regulation of DNA-binding selectivity by RAD51.
Published in Cell Cycle
Interaction of Escherichia coli RecA protein with LexA repressor. II. Inhibition of DNA strand exchange by the uncleavab...
Published in Journal of Biological Chemistry
The Escherichia coli RecA protein is involved in SOS induction, DNA repair, and homologous recombination. In vitro, RecA protein serves as a co-protease to cleave LexA repressor, the repressor of the SOS regulon; in addition, RecA protein promotes homologous pairing and DNA strand exchange, steps important to homologous recombination and DNA repair...
Molecular mimicry connects BRCA2 to Rad51 and recombinational DNA repair.
Published in Nautre Structural Biology
Sae2 promotes DNA damage resistance by removing the Mre11-Rad50-Xrs2 complex from DNA and attenuating Rad53 signaling.
Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
The Mre11-Rad50-Xrs2/NBS1 (MRX/N) nuclease/ATPase complex plays structural and catalytic roles in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and is the DNA damage sensor for Tel1/ATM kinase activation. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Sae2 can function with MRX to initiate 5 -3 end resection and also plays an important role in attenuation of DNA damage...
Transfer of recA protein from one polynucleotide to another. Effect of ATP and determination of the processivity of ATP ...
Published in Journal of Biological Chemistry
The transfer of recA protein from a fluorescently modified single-stranded DNA, containing 1,N6-ethenoadenosine and 3,N4-ethenocytosine, to polydeoxythymidylic acid (poly(dT)) was shown to occur by a complex mechanism in both the absence and presence of ADP (Menetski, J. P., and Kowalczykowski, S. C. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 2085-2092). A part of...
