Homologous pairing in vitro initiated by DNA synthesis |
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Authors: | T Kodadek M L Wong |
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Institution: | Department of Chemistry, University of Texas, Austin 78712. |
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Abstract: | A number of models have been proposed for the initiation of general genetic recombination. One of these, originally proposed by Meselson and Radding, imagines that the single-stranded 5' tail that results from strand displacement DNA repair synthesis can initiate homologous recombination by invading a homologous duplex. The resultant D-loop intermediate is then processed into mature products. We demonstrate here that an in vitro system composed of the bacteriophage T4 uvsX protein (a RecA-like "strand transferase") and part of the T4 DNA polymerase holoenzyme efficiently mediates pairing between nicked double-stranded circular and linear duplex DNAs, thereby demonstrating the feasibility of a key step in the Meselson-Radding model. |
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