TY - JOUR
T1 - Behavior of a cross-linked attachment site
T2 - Testing the role of branch migration in site-specific recombination
AU - Cowart, Marlon
AU - Benkovic, Stephen J.
AU - Nash, Howard A.
PY - 1991/8/5
Y1 - 1991/8/5
N2 - Integrative recombination of bacteriophage lambda requires perfect homology between partners over a short segment of DNA, the overlap region, that separates the positions of top and bottom strand exchange. We constructed a specific cross-link between complementary strands in the overlap region of one partner, using a method designed to introduce minimal distortion of DNA. The modified attachment site could initiate recombination, forming a Holliday junction, but could not resolve this junction so as to complete the recombination. This demonstrates that the ability of complementary base-pairs to dissociate is important for overlap region function and strongly supports the view that branch migration across this region is the way homology is sensed during integrative recombination.
AB - Integrative recombination of bacteriophage lambda requires perfect homology between partners over a short segment of DNA, the overlap region, that separates the positions of top and bottom strand exchange. We constructed a specific cross-link between complementary strands in the overlap region of one partner, using a method designed to introduce minimal distortion of DNA. The modified attachment site could initiate recombination, forming a Holliday junction, but could not resolve this junction so as to complete the recombination. This demonstrates that the ability of complementary base-pairs to dissociate is important for overlap region function and strongly supports the view that branch migration across this region is the way homology is sensed during integrative recombination.
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U2 - 10.1016/0022-2836(91)90105-F
DO - 10.1016/0022-2836(91)90105-F
M3 - Article
C2 - 1831237
AN - SCOPUS:0025894959
VL - 220
SP - 621
EP - 629
JO - Journal of Molecular Biology
JF - Journal of Molecular Biology
SN - 0022-2836
IS - 3
ER -