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Rowland SJ, Boocock MR, Burke ME, Rice PA, Stark WM. The protein-protein interactions required for assembly of the Tn3 resolution synapse. Mol Microbiol 2021; 114:952-965. [PMID: 33405333 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The site-specific recombinase Tn3 resolvase initiates DNA strand exchange when two res recombination sites and six resolvase dimers interact to form a synapse. The detailed architecture of this intricate recombination machine remains unclear. We have clarified which of the potential dimer-dimer interactions are required for synapsis and recombination, using a novel complementation strategy that exploits a previously uncharacterized resolvase from Bartonella bacilliformis ("Bart"). Tn3 and Bart resolvases recognize different DNA motifs, via diverged C-terminal domains (CTDs). They also differ substantially at N-terminal domain (NTD) surfaces involved in dimerization and synapse assembly. We designed NTD-CTD hybrid proteins, and hybrid res sites containing both Tn3 and Bart dimer binding sites. Using these components in in vivo assays, we demonstrate that productive synapsis requires a specific "R" interface involving resolvase NTDs at all three dimer-binding sites in res. Synapses containing mixtures of wild-type Tn3 and Bart resolvase NTD dimers are recombination-defective, but activity can be restored by replacing patches of Tn3 resolvase R interface residues with Bart residues, or vice versa. We conclude that the Tn3/Bart family synapse is assembled exclusively by R interactions between resolvase dimers, except for the one special dimer-dimer interaction required for catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally-J Rowland
- Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Martin R Boocock
- Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Mary E Burke
- Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Phoebe A Rice
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - W Marshall Stark
- Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
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2
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Fan HF, Ma CH, Jayaram M. Single-Molecule Tethered Particle Motion: Stepwise Analyses of Site-Specific DNA Recombination. MICROMACHINES 2018; 9:E216. [PMID: 30424148 PMCID: PMC6187709 DOI: 10.3390/mi9050216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 04/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Tethered particle motion/microscopy (TPM) is a biophysical tool used to analyze changes in the effective length of a polymer, tethered at one end, under changing conditions. The tether length is measured indirectly by recording the Brownian motion amplitude of a bead attached to the other end. In the biological realm, DNA, whose interactions with proteins are often accompanied by apparent or real changes in length, has almost exclusively been the subject of TPM studies. TPM has been employed to study DNA bending, looping and wrapping, DNA compaction, high-order DNA⁻protein assembly, and protein translocation along DNA. Our TPM analyses have focused on tyrosine and serine site-specific recombinases. Their pre-chemical interactions with DNA cause reversible changes in DNA length, detectable by TPM. The chemical steps of recombination, depending on the substrate and the type of recombinase, may result in a permanent length change. Single molecule TPM time traces provide thermodynamic and kinetic information on each step of the recombination pathway. They reveal how mechanistically related recombinases may differ in their early commitment to recombination, reversibility of individual steps, and in the rate-limiting step of the reaction. They shed light on the pre-chemical roles of catalytic residues, and on the mechanisms by which accessory proteins regulate recombination directionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiu-Fang Fan
- Biophotonics and Molecular Imaging Center, Department of Life Sciences and Institute of Genome Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan.
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan.
| | - Chien-Hui Ma
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
| | - Makkuni Jayaram
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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3
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Abstract
Tyrosine site-specific recombinases (YRs) are widely distributed among prokaryotes and their viruses, and were thought to be confined to the budding yeast lineage among eukaryotes. However, YR-harboring retrotransposons (the DIRS and PAT families) and DNA transposons (Cryptons) have been identified in a variety of eukaryotes. The YRs utilize a common chemical mechanism, analogous to that of type IB topoisomerases, to bring about a plethora of genetic rearrangements with important physiological consequences in their respective biological contexts. A subset of the tyrosine recombinases has provided model systems for analyzing the chemical mechanisms and conformational features of the recombination reaction using chemical, biochemical, topological, structural, and single molecule-biophysical approaches. YRs with simple reaction requirements have been utilized to bring about programmed DNA rearrangements for addressing fundamental questions in developmental biology. They have also been employed to trace the topological features of DNA within high-order DNA interactions established by protein machines. The directed evolution of altered specificity YRs, combined with their spatially and temporally regulated expression, heralds their emergence as vital tools in genome engineering projects with wide-ranging biotechnological and medical applications.
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The partitioning and copy number control systems of the selfish yeast plasmid: an optimized molecular design for stable persistence in host cells. Microbiol Spectr 2016; 2. [PMID: 25541598 DOI: 10.1128/microbiolspec.plas-0003-2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The multi-copy 2 micron plasmid of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a resident of the nucleus, is remarkable for its high chromosome-like stability. The plasmid does not appear to contribute to the fitness of the host, nor does it impose a significant metabolic burden on the host at its steady state copy number. The plasmid may be viewed as a highly optimized selfish DNA element whose genome design is devoted entirely towards efficient replication, equal segregation and copy number maintenance. A partitioning system comprised of two plasmid coded proteins, Rep1 and Rep2, and a partitioning locus STB is responsible for equal or nearly equal segregation of plasmid molecules to mother and daughter cells. Current evidence supports a model in which the Rep-STB system promotes the physical association of the plasmid with chromosomes and thus plasmid segregation by a hitchhiking mechanism. The Flp site-specific recombination system housed by the plasmid plays a critical role in maintaining steady state plasmid copy number. A decrease in plasmid population due to rare missegregation events is rectified by plasmid amplification via a recombination induced rolling circle replication mechanism. Appropriate plasmid amplification, without runaway increase in copy number, is ensured by positive and negative regulation of FLP gene expression by plasmid coded proteins and by the control of Flp level/activity through host mediated post-translational modification(s) of Flp. The Flp system has been successfully utilized to understand mechanisms of site-specific recombination, to bring about directed genetic alterations for addressing fundamental problems in biology, and as a tool in biotechnological applications.
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Fan HF, Cheng YS, Ma CH, Jayaram M. Single molecule TPM analysis of the catalytic pentad mutants of Cre and Flp site-specific recombinases: contributions of the pentad residues to the pre-chemical steps of recombination. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:3237-55. [PMID: 25765648 PMCID: PMC4381057 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2014] [Accepted: 02/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cre and Flp site-specific recombinase variants harboring point mutations at their conserved catalytic pentad positions were characterized using single molecule tethered particle motion (TPM) analysis. The findings reveal contributions of these amino acids to the pre-chemical steps of recombination. They suggest functional differences between positionally conserved residues in how they influence recombinase-target site association and formation of ‘non-productive’, ‘pre-synaptic’ and ‘synaptic’ complexes. The most striking difference between the two systems is noted for the single conserved lysine. The pentad residues in Cre enhance commitment to recombination by kinetically favoring the formation of pre-synaptic complexes. These residues in Flp serve a similar function by promoting Flp binding to target sites, reducing non-productive binding and/or enhancing the rate of assembly of synaptic complexes. Kinetic comparisons between Cre and Flp, and between their derivatives lacking the tyrosine nucleophile, are consistent with a stronger commitment to recombination in the Flp system. The effect of target site orientation (head-to-head or head-to-tail) on the TPM behavior of synapsed DNA molecules supports the selection of anti-parallel target site alignment prior to the chemical steps. The integrity of the synapse, whose establishment/stability is fostered by strand cleavage in the case of Flp but not Cre, appears to be compromised by the pentad mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiu-Fang Fan
- Department of Life Sciences and Institute of Genome Sciences, National Yang Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
| | - Yong-Song Cheng
- Department of Life Sciences and Institute of Genome Sciences, National Yang Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Hui Ma
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Makkuni Jayaram
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Mathematical validation of a biological model for unlinking replication catenanes by recombination. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:20854-5. [PMID: 24335590 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1321214111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Ma CH, Liu YT, Savva CG, Rowley PA, Cannon B, Fan HF, Russell R, Holzenburg A, Jayaram M. Organization of DNA partners and strand exchange mechanisms during Flp site-specific recombination analyzed by difference topology, single molecule FRET and single molecule TPM. J Mol Biol 2013; 426:793-815. [PMID: 24286749 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2013.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2013] [Revised: 11/18/2013] [Accepted: 11/18/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Flp site-specific recombination between two target sites (FRTs) harboring non-homology within the strand exchange region does not yield stable recombinant products. In negatively supercoiled plasmids containing head-to-tail sites, the reaction produces a series of knots with odd-numbered crossings. When the sites are in head-to-head orientation, the knot products contain even-numbered crossings. Both types of knots retain parental DNA configuration. By carrying out Flp recombination after first assembling the topologically well defined Tn3 resolvase synapse, it is possible to determine whether these knots arise by a processive or a dissociative mechanism. The nearly exclusive products from head-to-head and head-to-tail oriented "non-homologous" FRT partners are a 4-noded knot and a 5-noded knot, respectively. The corresponding products from a pair of native (homologous) FRT sites are a 3-noded knot and a 4-noded catenane, respectively. These results are consistent with non-homology-induced two rounds of dissociative recombination by Flp, the first to generate reciprocal recombinants containing non-complementary base pairs and the second to produce parental molecules with restored base pairing. Single molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) analysis of geometrically restricted FRTs, together with single molecule tethered particle motion (smTPM) assays of unconstrained FRTs, suggests that the sites are preferentially synapsed in an anti-parallel fashion. This selectivity in synapse geometry occurs prior to the chemical steps of recombination, signifying early commitment to a productive reaction path. The cumulative topological, smFRET and smTPM results have implications for the relative orientation of DNA partners and the directionality of strand exchange during recombination mediated by tyrosine site-specific recombinases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chien-Hui Ma
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Yen-Ting Liu
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Christos G Savva
- Microscopy and Imaging Center, Department of Biology and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2257, USA
| | - Paul A Rowley
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Brian Cannon
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Hsiu-Fang Fan
- Department of Life Sciences and Institute of Genome Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
| | - Rick Russell
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Andreas Holzenburg
- Microscopy and Imaging Center, Department of Biology and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2257, USA
| | - Makkuni Jayaram
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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Chan KM, Liu YT, Ma CH, Jayaram M, Sau S. The 2 micron plasmid of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: A miniaturized selfish genome with optimized functional competence. Plasmid 2013; 70:2-17. [DOI: 10.1016/j.plasmid.2013.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2012] [Revised: 02/21/2013] [Accepted: 03/02/2013] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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9
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Fan HF, Ma CH, Jayaram M. Real-time single-molecule tethered particle motion analysis reveals mechanistic similarities and contrasts of Flp site-specific recombinase with Cre and λ Int. Nucleic Acids Res 2013; 41:7031-47. [PMID: 23737451 PMCID: PMC3737535 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkt424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Flp, a tyrosine site-specific recombinase coded for by the selfish two micron plasmid of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, plays a central role in the maintenance of plasmid copy number. The Flp recombination system can be manipulated to bring about a variety of targeted DNA rearrangements in its native host and under non-native biological contexts. We have performed an exhaustive analysis of the Flp recombination pathway from start to finish by using single-molecule tethered particle motion (TPM). The recombination reaction is characterized by its early commitment and high efficiency, with only minor detraction from ‘non-productive’ and ‘wayward’ complexes. The recombination synapse is stabilized by strand cleavage, presumably by promoting the establishment of functional interfaces between adjacent Flp monomers. Formation of the Holliday junction intermediate poses a rate-limiting barrier to the overall reaction. Isomerization of the junction to the conformation favoring its resolution in the recombinant mode is not a slow step. Consistent with the completion of nearly every initiated reaction, the chemical steps of strand cleavage and exchange are not reversible during a recombination event. Our findings demonstrate similarities and differences between Flp and the mechanistically related recombinases λ Int and Cre. The commitment and directionality of Flp recombination revealed by TPM is consistent with the physiological role of Flp in amplifying plasmid DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiu-Fang Fan
- Department of Life Sciences and Institute of Genome Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan.
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10
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Gated rotation mechanism of site-specific recombination by ϕC31 integrase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:19661-6. [PMID: 23150546 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1210964109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Integrases, such as that of the Streptomyces temperate bacteriophage ϕC31, promote site-specific recombination between DNA sequences in the bacteriophage and bacterial genomes to integrate or excise the phage DNA. ϕC31 integrase belongs to the serine recombinase family, a large group of structurally related enzymes with diverse biological functions. It has been proposed that serine integrases use a "subunit rotation" mechanism to exchange DNA strands after double-strand DNA cleavage at the two recombining att sites, and that many rounds of subunit rotation can occur before the strands are religated. We have analyzed the mechanism of ϕC31 integrase-mediated recombination in a topologically constrained experimental system using hybrid "phes" recombination sites, each of which comprises a ϕC31 att site positioned adjacent to a regulatory sequence recognized by Tn3 resolvase. The topologies of reaction products from circular substrates containing two phes sites support a right-handed subunit rotation mechanism for catalysis of both integrative and excisive recombination. Strand exchange usually terminates after a single round of 180° rotation. However, multiple processive "360° rotation" rounds of strand exchange can be observed, if the recombining sites have nonidentical base pairs at their centers. We propose that a regulatory "gating" mechanism normally blocks multiple rounds of strand exchange and triggers product release after a single round.
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11
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Predicting Knot and Catenane Type of Products of Site-Specific Recombination on Twist Knot Substrates. J Mol Biol 2011; 411:350-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2011.05.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2011] [Revised: 05/30/2011] [Accepted: 05/31/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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12
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Vanhooff V, Normand C, Galloy C, Segall AM, Hallet B. Control of directionality in the DNA strand-exchange reaction catalysed by the tyrosine recombinase TnpI. Nucleic Acids Res 2009; 38:2044-56. [PMID: 20044348 PMCID: PMC2847244 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkp1187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In DNA site-specific recombination catalysed by tyrosine recombinases, two pairs of DNA strands are sequentially exchanged between separate duplexes and the mechanisms that confer directionality to this theoretically reversible reaction remain unclear. The tyrosine recombinase TnpI acts at the internal resolution site (IRS) of the transposon Tn4430 to resolve intermolecular transposition products. Recombination is catalysed at the IRS core sites (IR1–IR2) and is regulated by adjacent TnpI-binding motifs (DR1 and DR2). These are dispensable accessory sequences that confer resolution selectivity to the reaction by stimulating synapsis between directly repeated IRSs. Here, we show that formation of the DR1–DR2-containing synapse imposes a specific order of activation of the TnpI catalytic subunits in the complex so that the IR1-bound subunits catalyse the first strand exchange and the IR2-bound subunits the second strand exchange. This ordered pathway was demonstrated for a complete recombination reaction using a TnpI catalytic mutant (TnpI-H234L) partially defective in DNA rejoining. The presence of the DR1- and DR2-bound TnpI subunits was also found to stabilize transient recombination intermediates, further displacing the reaction equilibrium towards product formation. Implication of TnpI/IRS accessory elements in the initial architecture of the synapse and subsequent conformational changes taking place during strand exchange is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginie Vanhooff
- Unité de Génétique, Institut des Sciences de la Vie, UCLouvain, 5/6 Place Croix du Sud, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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13
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Iwig JS, Chivers PT. DNA recognition and wrapping by Escherichia coli RcnR. J Mol Biol 2009; 393:514-26. [PMID: 19703465 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2009.08.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2009] [Revised: 08/14/2009] [Accepted: 08/14/2009] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Escherichia coli RcnR is a founding member of a recently discovered large and widespread structural family of bacterial transcription factors that are predicted to respond to a variety of environmental stresses. RcnR directly regulates transcription of the gene encoding the RcnA nickel and cobalt efflux protein by coordination of DNA-binding and metal-binding activities. A crystal structure of a Cu(I)-sensing homolog from Mycobacterium tuberculosis did not reveal how the novel all-alpha-helical fold of this protein family interacts with DNA because it lacks a well-characterized DNA-binding motif. In this study, we investigated the biophysical properties of the RcnR-DNA interaction using isothermal titration calorimetry and footprinting techniques. We found that an RcnR tetramer recognizes a TACT-G(6)-N-AGTA motif, of which there are two in the rcnA-rcnR intergenic region. G-tracts are found in many predicted binding sites of other RcnR/CsoR proteins, and here we show that they endow A-form DNA characteristics to the RcnR operator sites. Interestingly, RcnR also interacts nonspecifically with the approximately 50 base pairs flanking the core binding site, resulting in DNA wrapping and the introduction of a single negative supercoil into plasmid DNA. Comparisons with other RcnR/CsoR proteins reveal likely key differences in DNA binding among members of this family that result from variations in the number and sequence of operator sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S Iwig
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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15
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Arsuaga J, Diao Y, Vazquez M. Mathematical Methods in Dna Topology: Applications to Chromosome Organization and Site-Specific Recombination. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-0670-0_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
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16
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Darcy IK, Scharein RG, Stasiak A. 3D visualization software to analyze topological outcomes of topoisomerase reactions. Nucleic Acids Res 2008; 36:3515-21. [PMID: 18440983 PMCID: PMC2441796 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkn192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The action of various DNA topoisomerases frequently results in characteristic changes in DNA topology. Important information for understanding mechanistic details of action of these topoisomerases can be provided by investigating the knot types resulting from topoisomerase action on circular DNA forming a particular knot type. Depending on the topological bias of a given topoisomerase reaction, one observes different subsets of knotted products. To establish the character of topological bias, one needs to be aware of all possible topological outcomes of intersegmental passages occurring within a given knot type. However, it is not trivial to systematically enumerate topological outcomes of strand passage from a given knot type. We present here a 3D visualization software (TopoICE-X in KnotPlot) that incorporates topological analysis methods in order to visualize, for example, knots that can be obtained from a given knot by one intersegmental passage. The software has several other options for the topological analysis of mechanisms of action of various topoisomerases.
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Affiliation(s)
- I K Darcy
- Department of Mathematics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52245, USA.
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17
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Buck D, Flapan E. Predicting knot or catenane type of site-specific recombination products. J Mol Biol 2007; 374:1186-99. [PMID: 17996894 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2007.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2007] [Revised: 10/03/2007] [Accepted: 10/05/2007] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Site-specific recombination on supercoiled circular DNA yields a variety of knotted or catenated products. Here, we present a topological model of this process and characterize all possible products of the most common substrates: unknots, unlinks, and torus knots and catenanes. This model tightly prescribes the knot or catenane type of previously uncharacterized data. We also discuss how the model helps to distinguish products of distributive recombination and, in some cases, determine the order of processive recombination products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorothy Buck
- Department of Mathematics and Center for Bioinformatics, Imperial College London, London, England SW7 2AZ, UK.
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18
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Abstract
Cre recombinase catalyzes site-specific recombination between 34-bp loxP sites in a variety of topological and cellular contexts. An obligatory step in the recombination reaction is the association, or synapsis, of Cre-bound loxP sites to form a tetrameric protein assembly that is competent for strand exchange. Using analytical ultracentrifugation and electrophoresis approaches, we have studied the energetics of Cre-mediated synapsis of loxP sites. We found that synapsis occurs with a high affinity (Kd = 10 nM) and is pH-dependent but does not require divalent cations. Surprisingly, the catalytically inactive Cre K201A mutant is fully competent for synapsis of loxP sites, yet the inactive Y324F and R173K mutants are defective for synapsis. These findings have allowed us to determine the first crystal structures of a pre-cleavage Cre-loxP synaptic complex in a configuration representing the starting point in the recombination pathway. When combined with a quantitative analysis of synapsis using loxP mutants, the structures explain how the central 8 bp of the loxP site are able to dictate the order of strand exchange in the Cre system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaushik Ghosh
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
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Du Q, Livshits A, Kwiatek A, Jayaram M, Vologodskii A. Protein-induced local DNA bends regulate global topology of recombination products. J Mol Biol 2007; 368:170-82. [PMID: 17337001 PMCID: PMC1945176 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2007.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2006] [Accepted: 02/05/2007] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The tyrosine family of recombinases produces two smaller DNA circles when acting on circular DNA harboring two recombination sites in head-to-tail orientation. If the substrate is supercoiled, these circles can be unlinked or form multiply linked catenanes. The topological complexity of the products varies strongly even for similar recombination systems. This dependence has been solved here. Our computer simulation of the synapsis showed that the bend angles, phi, created in isolated recombination sites by protein binding before assembly of the full complex, determine the product topology. To verify the validity of this theoretical finding we measured the values of phi for Cre/loxP and Flp/FRT systems. The measurement was based on cyclization of the protein-bound short DNA fragments in solution. Despite the striking similarity of the synapses for these recombinases, action of Cre on head-to-tail target sites produces mainly unlinked circles, while that of Flp yields multiply linked catenanes. In full agreement with theoretical expectations we found that the values of phi for these systems are very different, close to 35 degrees and 80 degrees, respectively. Our findings have general implications in how small protein machines acting locally on large DNA molecules exploit statistical properties of their substrates to bring about directed global changes in topology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Du
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Alexei Livshits
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Agnieszka Kwiatek
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Makkuni Jayaram
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Alexander Vologodskii
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
- *To whom correspondence should be addressed:
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Abstract
Phage Mu is the most efficient transposable element known, its high efficiency being conferred by an enhancer DNA element. Transposition is the end result of a series of well choreographed steps that juxtapose the enhancer and the two Mu ends within a nucleoprotein complex called the 'transpososome.' The particular arrangement of DNA and protein components lends extraordinary stability to the transpososome and regulates the frequency, precision, directionality, and mechanism of transposition. The structure of the transpososome, therefore, holds the key to understanding all of these attributes, and ultimately to explaining the runaway genetic success of transposable elements throughout the biological world. This review focuses on the path of the DNA within the Mu transpososome, as uncovered by recent topological analyses. It discusses why Mu topology cannot be analyzed by standard methods, and how knowledge of the geometry of site alignment during Flp and Cre site-specific recombination was harnessed to design a new methodology called 'difference topology.' This methodology has also revealed the order and dynamics of association of the three interacting DNA sites, as well as the role of the enhancer in assembly of the Mu transpososome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rasika M Harshey
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology & Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA.
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Pentecost CD, Chichak KS, Peters AJ, Cave GWV, Cantrill SJ, Stoddart JF. A Molecular Solomon Link. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2007; 46:218-22. [PMID: 17111445 DOI: 10.1002/anie.200603521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 211] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cari D Pentecost
- The California NanoSystems Institute, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1569, USA
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22
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Pentecost C, Chichak K, Peters A, Cave G, Cantrill S, Stoddart J. A Molecular Solomon Link. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2007. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.200603521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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23
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Darcy IK, Chang J, Druivenga N, McKinney C, Medikonduri RK, Mills S, Navarra-Madsen J, Ponnusamy A, Sweet J, Thompson T. Coloring the Mu transpososome. BMC Bioinformatics 2006; 7:435. [PMID: 17022825 PMCID: PMC1636074 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2105-7-435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2005] [Accepted: 10/05/2006] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Tangle analysis has been applied successfully to study proteins which bind two segments of DNA and can knot and link circular DNA. We show how tangle analysis can be extended to model any stable protein-DNA complex. Results We discuss a computational method for finding the topological conformation of DNA bound within a protein complex. We use an elementary invariant from knot theory called colorability to encode and search for possible DNA conformations. We apply this method to analyze the experimental results of Pathania, Jayaram, and Harshey (Cell 2002). We show that the only topological DNA conformation bound by Mu transposase which is biologically likely is the five crossing solution found by Pathania et al (although other possibilities are discussed). Conclusion Our algorithm can be used to analyze the results of the experimental technique described in Pathania et al in order to determine the topological conformation of DNA bound within a stable protein-DNA complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel K Darcy
- Mathematics Department, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Jeff Chang
- Mathematics Department, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Nathan Druivenga
- Mathematics Department, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Colin McKinney
- Mathematics Department, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Ram K Medikonduri
- Mathematics Department, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Stacy Mills
- Mathematics Department, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | | | | | - Jesse Sweet
- Mathematics Department, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Travis Thompson
- Mathematics Department, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
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24
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Grainge I, Gaudier M, Schuwirth BS, Westcott SL, Sandall J, Atanassova N, Wigley DB. Biochemical analysis of a DNA replication origin in the archaeon Aeropyrum pernix. J Mol Biol 2006; 363:355-69. [PMID: 16978641 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2006.07.076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2006] [Revised: 07/26/2006] [Accepted: 07/26/2006] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We have characterised the interaction of the Aeropyrum pernix origin recognition complex proteins (ORC1 and ORC2) with DNA using DNase I footprinting. Each protein binds upstream of its respective gene. However, ORC1 protein alone interacts more tightly with an additional region containing multiple origin recognition box (ORB) sites that we show to be a replication origin. At this origin, there are four ORB elements disposed either side of an A+T-rich region. An ORC1 protein dimer binds at each of these ORB sites. Once all four ORB sites have bound ORC1 protein, there is a transition to a higher-order assembly with a defined alteration in topology and superhelicity. Furthermore, after this transition, the A+T-rich region becomes sensitive to digestion by DNase I and P1 nuclease, revealing that the transition promotes distortion of the DNA in this region, presumably as a prelude to loading of MCM helicase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Grainge
- Cancer Research UK, Clare Hall Laboratories, The London Research Institute, Blanche Lane, South Mimms, Potters Bar, Herts EN6 3LD, UK
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25
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Vanhooff V, Galloy C, Agaisse H, Lereclus D, Révet B, Hallet B. Self-control in DNA site-specific recombination mediated by the tyrosine recombinase TnpI. Mol Microbiol 2006; 60:617-29. [PMID: 16629665 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2006.05127.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Tn4430 is a distinctive transposon of the Tn3 family that encodes a tyrosine recombinase (TnpI) to resolve replicative transposition intermediates. The internal resolution site of Tn4430 (IRS, 116 bp) contains two inverted repeats (IR1 and IR2) at the crossover core site, and two additional TnpI binding motifs (DR1 and DR2) adjacent to the core. Deletion analysis demonstrated that DR1 and DR2 are not required for recombination in vivo and in vitro. Their function is to provide resolution selectivity to the reaction by stimulating recombination between directly oriented sites on a same DNA molecule. In the absence of DR1 and/or DR2, TnpI-mediated recombination of supercoiled DNA substrates gives a mixture of topologically variable products, while deletion between two wild-type IRSs exclusively produces two-noded catenanes. This demonstrates that TnpI binding to the accessory motifs DR1 and DR2 contributes to the formation of a specific synaptic complex in which catalytically inert recombinase subunits act as architectural elements to control recombination sites pairing and strand exchange. A model for the organization of TnpI/IRS recombination complex is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginie Vanhooff
- Unité de Génétique, Institut des Sciences de la Vie, Université Catholique de Louvain, 5/6 Place Croix du Sud, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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26
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Yin Z, Harshey RM. Enhancer-independent Mu transposition from two topologically distinct synapses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2006; 102:18884-9. [PMID: 16380426 PMCID: PMC1323169 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0506873102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Transposition of Mu is strictly dependent on a specific orientation of the left (L) and right (R) ends of Mu and a distant enhancer site (E) located on supercoiled DNA. Five DNA crossings are trapped in the three-site synapse, two of which are contributed by the interwrapping of L and R. To determine the contribution of E to the interwrapping of Mu ends, we examined the topology of the LR synapse under two different enhancer-independent reaction conditions. One of these conditions, which also alleviates the requirement for a specific orientation of Mu ends, revealed two topologically distinct arrangements of the ends. In their normal relative orientation, L and R were either plectonemically interwrapped or aligned by random collision. Addition of the enhancer to this system channeled synapsis toward the interwrapped pathway. When the ends were in the wrong relative orientation, synapsis occurred exclusively by random collision. In the second enhancer-independent condition, which retains the requirement for a specific orientation of Mu ends, synapsis of L and R was entirely by interwrapping. The two distinct kinds of synapses also were identified by gel electrophoresis. We discuss these results in the context of the "topological filter" model and consider the many contributions the enhancer makes to the biologically relevant interwrapped synapse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqi Yin
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, and Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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27
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Vetcher AA, Lushnikov AY, Navarra-Madsen J, Scharein RG, Lyubchenko YL, Darcy IK, Levene SD. DNA topology and geometry in Flp and Cre recombination. J Mol Biol 2006; 357:1089-104. [PMID: 16483600 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2006.01.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2005] [Revised: 01/06/2006] [Accepted: 01/10/2006] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The Flp recombinase of yeast and the Cre recombinase of bacteriophage P1 both belong to the lambda-integrase (Int) family of site-specific recombinases. These recombination systems recognize recombination-target sequences that consist of two 13bp inverted repeats flanking a 6 or 8bp spacer sequence. Recombination reactions involve particular geometric and topological relationships between DNA target sites at synapsis, which we investigate using nicked-circular DNA molecules. Examination of the tertiary structure of synaptic complexes formed on nicked plasmid DNAs by atomic-force microscopy, in conjunction with detailed topological analysis using the mathematics of tangles, shows that only a limited number of recombination-site topologies are consistent with the global structures of plasmids bearing directly and inversely repeated sites. The tangle solutions imply that there is significant distortion of the Holliday-junction intermediate relative to the planar structure of the four-way DNA junction present in the Flp and Cre co-crystal structures. Based on simulations of nucleoprotein structures that connect the two-dimensional tangle solutions with three-dimensional models of the complexes, we propose a recombination mechanism in which the synaptic intermediate is characterized by a non-planar, possibly near-tetrahedral, Holliday-junction intermediate. Only modest conformational changes within this structure are needed to form the symmetric, planar DNA junction, which may be characteristic of shorter-lived intermediates along the recombination pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre A Vetcher
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Technology and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX 75083, USA
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28
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Kilbride EA, Burke ME, Boocock MR, Stark WM. Determinants of product topology in a hybrid Cre-Tn3 resolvase site-specific recombination system. J Mol Biol 2005; 355:185-95. [PMID: 16303133 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2005.10.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2005] [Revised: 10/16/2005] [Accepted: 10/18/2005] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Many natural DNA site-specific recombination systems achieve directionality and/or selectivity by making recombinants with a specific DNA topology. This property requires that the DNA architecture of the synapse and the mechanism of strand exchange are both under strict control. Previously we reported that Tn3 resolvase-mediated synapsis of the accessory binding sites from the Tn3 recombination site res can impose topological selectivity on Cre/loxP recombination. Here, we show that the topology of these reactions is profoundly affected by subtle changes in the hybrid recombination site les. Reversing the orientation of loxP relative to the res accessory sequence, or adding 4 bp to the DNA between loxP and the accessory sequence, can switch between two-noded and four-noded catenane products. By analysing Holliday junction intermediates, we show that the innate bias in the order of strand exchanges at loxP is maintained despite the changes in topology. We conclude that a specific synaptic structure formed by resolvase and the res accessory sequences permits Cre to align the adjoining loxP sites in several distinct ways, and that resolvase-mediated intertwining of the accessory sequences may be less than has been assumed previously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Kilbride
- Institute of Biomedical & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, 56 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow G11 6NU, Scotland, UK
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29
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Abstract
Sin recombinase from Staphylococcus aureus acts selectively on directly repeated resH sites, assembling an intertwined synapse in which exactly three supercoils are trapped between the points of strand exchange. Resolution requires the two Sin binding sites in resH (site I, where strand exchange occurs, and site II) and a non-specific DNA-bending protein (e.g. Hbsu). We show that a single amino acid substitution in Sin (I100T) is sufficient to relax the normal requirements for site II and Hbsu. Using this hyperactive protein, and the variant recombination site resH(AT), we investigate the roles of site II and Hbsu in synapsis and strand exchange. We conclude that Sin bound at site II, and Hbsu, act together to control site I alignment and the topology of the synapse, and to stimulate strand exchange.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally J Rowland
- University of Glasgow, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Division of Molecular Genetics, Anderson College, 56 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow G11 6NU, UK.
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30
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Yin Z, Jayaram M, Pathania S, Harshey RM. The Mu Transposase Interwraps Distant DNA Sites within a Functional Transpososome in the Absence of DNA Supercoiling. J Biol Chem 2005; 280:6149-56. [PMID: 15563455 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m411679200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
A Mu transpososome assembled on negatively supercoiled DNA traps five supercoils by intertwining the left (L) and right (R) ends of Mu with an enhancer element (E). To investigate the contribution of DNA supercoiling to this elaborate synapse in which E and L cross once, E and R twice, and L and R twice, we have analyzed DNA crossings in a transpososome assembled on nicked substrates under conditions that bypass the supercoiling requirement for transposition. We find that the transposase MuA can recreate an essentially similar topology on nicked substrates, interwrapping both E-R and L-R twice but being unable to generate the single E-L crossing. In addition, we deduce that the functional MuA tetramer must contribute to three of the four observed crossings and, thus, to restraining the enhancer within the complex. We discuss the contribution of both MuA and DNA supercoiling to the 5-noded Mu synapse built at the 3-way junction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqi Yin
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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31
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Vazquez M, Colloms SD, Sumners DW. Tangle Analysis of Xer Recombination Reveals only Three Solutions, all Consistent with a Single Three-dimensional Topological Pathway. J Mol Biol 2005; 346:493-504. [PMID: 15670599 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2004.11.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2004] [Revised: 11/12/2004] [Accepted: 11/22/2004] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The product of Xer recombination at directly repeated psi sites on a circular unknotted DNA molecule is a right-hand four-noded catenane. Here, we use tangle equations to analyze the topological changes associated with Xer recombination at psi. This mathematical method allows computation of all possible topological pathways consistent with the experimental data. We give a rigorous mathematical proof that, under reasonable biological assumptions, there are only three solutions to the tangle equations. One of the solutions corresponds to a synaptic complex with antiparallel alignment of recombination core sites, the other two correspond to parallel alignment of cores. We show that all three solutions can be unified into a single three-dimensional model for Xer recombination. Thus the three distinct mathematical solutions do not necessarily represent distinct three-dimensional pathways, and in this case the three distinct tangle solutions are different planar projections of the same three-dimensional configuration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariel Vazquez
- Department of Mathematics, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley CA 94720-3840, USA.
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32
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Bankhead T, Chaconas G. Mixing active-site components: a recipe for the unique enzymatic activity of a telomere resolvase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2004; 101:13768-73. [PMID: 15365172 PMCID: PMC518831 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0405762101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2004] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The ResT protein, a telomere resolvase from Borrelia burgdorferi, processes replication intermediates into linear replicons with hairpin ends by using a catalytic mechanism similar to that for tyrosine recombinases and type IB topoisomerases. We have identified in ResT a hairpin binding region typically found in cut-and-paste transposases. We show that substitution of residues within this region results in a decreased ability of these mutants to catalyze telomere resolution. However, the mutants are capable of resolving heteroduplex DNA substrates designed to allow spontaneous destabilization and prehairpin formation. These findings support the existence of a hairpin binding region in ResT, the only known occurrence outside a transposase. The combination of transposase-like and tyrosine-recombinase-like domains found in ResT indicates the use of a composite active site and helps explain the unique breakage-and-reunion reaction observed with this protein. Comparison of the ResT sequence with other known telomere resolvases suggests that a hairpin binding motif is a common feature in this class of enzyme; the sequence motif also appears in the RAG recombinases. Finally, our data support a mechanism of action whereby ResT induces prehairpin formation before the DNA cleavage step.
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Affiliation(s)
- Troy Bankhead
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada T2N 4N1
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33
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Gourlay SC, Colloms SD. Control of Cre recombination by regulatory elements from Xer recombination systems. Mol Microbiol 2004; 52:53-65. [PMID: 15049810 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2003.03962.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Site-specific recombination by the Cre recombinase takes place at a simple DNA site (loxP), requires no additional proteins and gives topologically simple recombination products. In contrast, cer and psi sites for Xer recombination contain approximately 150 bp of accessory sequences, require accessory proteins PepA, ArgR and ArcA, and the products are specifically linked to form a four-noded catenane. Here, we use hybrid sites consisting of accessory sequences of cer or psi fused to loxP to probe the function of accessory proteins in site-specific recombination. We show that PepA instructs Cre to produce four-noded catenane, but is not required for recombination at these hybrid sites. Mutants of Cre that require PepA and accessory sequences for efficient recombination were selected. PepA-dependent Cre gave products with a specific topology and displayed resolution selectivity. Our results reveal that PepA acts autonomously in the synapsis of psi and cer accessory sequences and is the main architectural element responsible for intertwining accessory site DNA. We suggest that accessory proteins can activate recombinases simply by synapsing the regulatory DNA sequences, thus bringing the recombination sites together with a specific geometry. This may occur without the need for protein-protein interactions between accessory proteins and the recombinases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah C Gourlay
- Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Division of Molecular Genetics, University of Glasgow, Anderson College, 56 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow G11 6NU, UK
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34
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Konieczka JH, Paek A, Jayaram M, Voziyanov Y. Recombination of Hybrid Target Sites by Binary Combinations of Flp Variants: Mutations that Foster Interprotomer Collaboration and Enlarge Substrate Tolerance. J Mol Biol 2004; 339:365-78. [PMID: 15136039 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2004.03.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2004] [Revised: 03/18/2004] [Accepted: 03/22/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Strategies of directed evolution and combinatorial mutagenesis applied to the Flp site-specific recombinase have yielded recombination systems that utilize bi-specific hybrid target sites. A hybrid site is assembled from two half-sites, each harboring a distinct binding specificity. Satisfying the two specificities by a binary combination of Flp variants, while necessary, may not be sufficient to elicit recombination. We have identified amino acid substitutions that foster interprotomer collaboration between partner Flp variants to potentiate strand exchange in hybrid sites. One such substitution, A35T, acts specifically in cis with one of the two partners of a variant pair, Flp(K82M) and Flp(A35T, R281V). The same A35T mutation is also present within a group of mutations that rescue a Flp variant, Flp(Y60S), that is defective in establishing monomer-monomer interactions on the native Flp target site. Strikingly, these mutations are localized to peptide regions involved in interdomain and interprotomer interactions within the recombination complex. The same group of mutations, when transferred to the context of wild-type Flp, can relax its specificity to include non-native target sites. The hybrid Flp systems described here mimic the naturally occurring XerC/XerD recombination system that utilizes two recombinases with distinct DNA binding specificities. The ability to overcome the constraints of binding site symmetry in Flp recombination has important implications in the targeted manipulations of genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay H Konieczka
- Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Texas, Austin, 1 University Station A5000, Austin, TX 78712-0162, USA
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35
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Ip SCY, Bregu M, Barre FX, Sherratt DJ. Decatenation of DNA circles by FtsK-dependent Xer site-specific recombination. EMBO J 2004; 22:6399-407. [PMID: 14633998 PMCID: PMC291834 DOI: 10.1093/emboj/cdg589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA replication results in interlinked (catenated) sister duplex molecules as a consequence of the intertwined helices that comprise duplex DNA. DNA topoisomerases play key roles in decatenation. We demonstrate a novel, efficient and directional decatenation process in vitro, which uses the combination of the Escherichia coli XerCD site-specific recombination system and a protein, FtsK, which facilitates simple synapsis of dif recombination sites during its translocation along DNA. We propose that the FtsK-XerCD recombination machinery, which converts chromosomal dimers to monomers, may also function in vivo in removing the final catenation links remaining upon completion of DNA replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen C Y Ip
- University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
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36
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Jayaram M, Mehta S, Uzri D, Voziyanov Y, Velmurugan S. Site-specific recombination and partitioning systems in the stable high copy propagation of the 2-micron yeast plasmid. PROGRESS IN NUCLEIC ACID RESEARCH AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2004; 77:127-72. [PMID: 15196892 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6603(04)77004-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Makkuni Jayaram
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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37
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Pathania S, Jayaram M, Harshey RM. A unique right end-enhancer complex precedes synapsis of Mu ends: the enhancer is sequestered within the transpososome throughout transposition. EMBO J 2003; 22:3725-36. [PMID: 12853487 PMCID: PMC165624 DOI: 10.1093/emboj/cdg354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Assembly of the Mu transpososome is dependent on interactions of transposase subunits with the left (L) and right (R) ends of Mu and an enhancer (E). We have followed the order and dynamics of association of these sites within a series of transpososomes prior to and during formation of a three-site complex (LER), engagement of Mu ends by the transposase active site (type 0 complex), cleavage of the ends (type I complex) and their transfer to target DNA (type II complex). LER appears to be preceded by a two-site complex (ER) where E and R are interwrapped twice, as in the mature transpososome. At each stage thereafter, the overall topology of five DNA supercoils is retained: two between E and R, one between E and L and two between L and R. However, L-R interactions within LER appear to be flexible. Unexpectedly, the enhancer was seen to persist within the transpososome through cleavage and strand transfer of Mu ends to target DNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shailja Pathania
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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38
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Voziyanov Y, Konieczka JH, Stewart AF, Jayaram M. Stepwise manipulation of DNA specificity in Flp recombinase: progressively adapting Flp to individual and combinatorial mutations in its target site. J Mol Biol 2003; 326:65-76. [PMID: 12547191 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-2836(02)01364-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The Flp protein from Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one of the site-specific tyrosine family recombinases that are used widely in genomic engineering. As a first step towards mediating directed DNA rearrangements at non-native Flp recombination targets (mFRTs), we have evolved three separate groups of Flp variants that preferentially act on mFRTs containing substitutions at the first, seventh or both positions of the Flp-binding elements. The variants that recombine the double-mutant mFRT contain a subset of the mutations present in those that are active on the single-mutant mFRTs, plus additional mutations. Specificity for and discrimination between target sites, effected primarily by amino acid residues that contact DNA, can be modulated by those that do not interact with DNA or with a DNA-contacting residue. The degree of modulation can range from relaxed DNA specificity to almost completely altered specificity. Our results suggest that combined DNA shuffling and mutagenesis of libraries of Flp variants active on distinct mFRTs can yield variants that can recombine mFRTs containing combinations of the individual mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri Voziyanov
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712-1095, USA.
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39
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Grainge I, Pathania S, Vologodskii A, Harshey RM, Jayaram M. Symmetric DNA sites are functionally asymmetric within Flp and Cre site-specific DNA recombination synapses. J Mol Biol 2002; 320:515-27. [PMID: 12096907 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-2836(02)00517-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Flp and Cre-mediated recombination on symmetrized FRT and loxP sites, respectively, in circular plasmid substrates yield both DNA inversion and deletion. However, upon sequestering three negative supercoils outside the recombination complex using the resII-resIII synapse formed by Tn3 resolvase and the LER synapse formed by phage Mu transposase in the case of Flp and Cre, respectively, the reactions are channeled towards inversion at the expense of deletion. The inversion product is a trefoil, its unique topology being conferred by the external resolvase or LER synapse. Thus, Flp and Cre assign their symmetrized substrates a strictly antiparallel orientation with respect to strand cleavage and exchange. These conclusions are supported by the product profiles from tethered parallel and antiparallel native FRT sites in dilution and competition assays. Furthermore, the observed recombination bias favoring deletion over inversion in a nicked circular substrate containing two symmetrized FRT sites is consistent with the predictions from Monte Carlo simulations based on antiparallel synapsis of the DNA partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian Grainge
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and the Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, 78712, USA
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Martin SS, Pulido E, Chu VC, Lechner TS, Baldwin EP. The order of strand exchanges in Cre-LoxP recombination and its basis suggested by the crystal structure of a Cre-LoxP Holliday junction complex. J Mol Biol 2002; 319:107-27. [PMID: 12051940 PMCID: PMC2904746 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-2836(02)00246-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Cre recombinase uses two pairs of sequential cleavage and religation reactions to exchange homologous DNA strands between 34 base-pair (bp) LoxP recognition sequences. In the oligomeric recombination complex, a switch between "cleaving" and "non-cleaving" subunit conformations regulates the number, order, and regio-specificity of the strand exchanges. However, the particular sequence of events has been in question. From analysis of strand composition of the Holliday junction (HJ) intermediate, we determined that Cre initiates recombination of LoxP by cleaving the upper strand on the left arm. Cre preferred to react with the left arm of a LoxP suicide substrate, but at a similar rate to the right arm, indicating that the first strand to be exchanged is selected prior to cleavage. We propose that during complex assembly the cleaving subunit preferentially associates with the LoxP left arm, directing the first strand exchange to that side. In addition, this biased assembly would enforce productive orientation of LoxP sites in the recombination synapses. A novel Cre-HJ complex structure in which LoxP was oriented with the left arm bound by the cleaving Cre subunit suggested a physical basis for the strand exchange order. Lys86 and Lys201 interact with the left arm scissile adenine base differently than in structures that have a scissile guanine. These interactions are associated with positioning the 198-208 loop, a structural component of the conformational switch, in a configuration that is specific to the cleaving conformation. Our results suggest that strand exchange order and site alignment are regulated by an "induced fit" mechanism in which the cleaving conformation is selectively stabilized through protein-DNA interactions with the scissile base on the strand that is cleaved first.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelley S. Martin
- Section of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Erik Pulido
- Department of Chemistry, San Jose State University, 1 Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192-099, USA
| | - Victor C. Chu
- Section of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Tyson S. Lechner
- Section of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Enoch P. Baldwin
- Section of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Corresponding author:
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Pathania S, Jayaram M, Harshey RM. Path of DNA within the Mu transpososome. Transposase interactions bridging two Mu ends and the enhancer trap five DNA supercoils. Cell 2002; 109:425-36. [PMID: 12086600 DOI: 10.1016/s0092-8674(02)00728-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The phage Mu transpososome is assembled by interactions of transposase subunits with the left (L) and right (R) ends of Mu and an enhancer (E) located in between. A metastable three-site complex LER progresses into a more stable type 0 complex in which a tetrameric transposase is poised for DNA cleavage. "Difference topology" has revealed five trapped negative supercoils within type 0, three contributed by crossings of E with L and R, and two by crossings of L with R. This is the most complex DNA arrangement seen to date within a recombination synapse. Contrary to the prevailing notion, the enhancer appears not to be released immediately following type 0 assembly. Difference topology provides a simple method for determining the ordered sequestration of DNA segments within nucleoprotein assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shailja Pathania
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and Institute of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, 78712, USA
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Sau AK, DeVue Tribble G, Grainge I, Frohlich RF, Knudsen BR, Jayaram M. Biochemical and kinetic analysis of the RNase active sites of the integrase/tyrosine family site-specific DNA recombinases. J Biol Chem 2001; 276:46612-23. [PMID: 11585826 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m106492200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we have used multiple strategies to characterize the mechanisms of the type I and type II RNA cleavage activities harbored by the Flp (pronounced here as "flip") site-specific DNA recombinase (Flp-RNase I and II, respectively). Reactions using half-sites pre-bound by step-arrest mutants of Flp agree with a "shared active site" being responsible for the type I reaction (as is the case with normal DNA recombination). In a "pre-cleaved" type I substrate containing a 3'-phosphotyrosyl bond, the Flp-RNase I activity can be elicited by either wild type Flp or by Flp(Y343F). Kinetic analyses of the type I reaction are consistent with the above observations and support the notion that the DNA recombinase and type I RNase active sites are identical. The type II RNase activity is expressed by Flp(Y343F) in a half-site substrate and is unaffected by the catalytic constitution of a Flp monomer present on a partner half-site. Reaction conditions that proscribe the assembly of a DNA bound Flp dimer have no effect on Flp-RNase II. These biochemical results, together with kinetic data, are consistent with the reaction being performed from a "non-shared active site" contained within a single Flp monomer. The Flp-related recombinase Cre, which utilizes a non-shared recombination active site, exhibits the type I RNA cleavage reaction. So far, we have failed to detect the type II RNase activity in Cre. Despite their differences in active site assembly, Cre functionally mimics Flp in being able to provide two functional active sites from a trimer of Cre bound to a three-armed (Y-shaped) substrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- A K Sau
- Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
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