Chi recombination activity in phage lambda decays as a function of genetic distance.

Genetics
R S MyersF W Stahl

Abstract

In Escherichia coli, chi is a recombination hotspot that stimulates RecBCD-dependent exchange at and to one side of itself. chi activity is highest at chi and decreases with distance from chi. The decrease in chi activity may be a simple property of the physical distance over which chi can stimulate recombination. Alternatively, the decay in chi activity with distance may reflect the high likelihood that chi-stimulated recombination occurs in a single chi-proximal act, to the exclusion of additional chi-stimulated exchanges more distal to chi. To test the models, we determined if chi activity decreases as a function of physical distance (i.e., DNA base pairs) or genetic distance (homologous DNA base pairs). Our results indicate that chi activity decays as a function of genetic distance. In addition, we found that the sbcB gene product (exonuclease I, a 3'-->5' ssDNA exonuclease) modulates the distance over which chi can act. In contrast, the recJ gene product (a 5'-->3' ssDNA exonuclease) does not alter the decay of chi activity.

Citations

Nov 21, 2007·Cell·Maria SpiesStephen C Kowalczykowski
Jun 6, 1998·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·J R JessenS Lin
Sep 5, 2001·Molecular Microbiology·M E Jockovich, R S Myers
Oct 5, 2001·Nature Reviews. Genetics·N G CopelandD L Court
Dec 5, 2008·Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews : MMBR·Mark S Dillingham, Stephen C Kowalczykowski
Mar 22, 2021·Nucleic Acids Research·Piero R Bianco, Yue Lu
Feb 18, 2011·Genes & Development·Amitabh V NimonkarStephen C Kowalczykowski

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