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PubMed1987

Formation of recombinant lacZ+ DNA in conjugational crosses with a recB mutant of Escherichia coli K12 depends on recF, recJ, and recO.

Conjugational recombination in Escherichia coli was investigated by monitoring synthesis of the lacZ+ product, beta-galactosidase, in crosses between lacZ mutants. We report here that mutation of recB and any combination of recF, recJ, or recO reduces enzyme production by a factor of between 10- and 25-fold whereas mutation of only one of these genes or any combination of recF, recJ, or recO has no more than a 2-fold effect. Mutation of recN has no effect either alone or in combination with the other mutations. We suggest that the products of recF, recJ, and recO may provide an efficient alternative to the RecBCD enzyme for the initiation of recombination in conjugational crosses but that RecBCD activity is needed in this case to produce a viable recombinant product.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1998

The P22 Erf protein and host RecA provide alternative functions for transductional segregation of plasmid-borne duplications.

A tandem DNA duplication carried on a ColE1-derived plasmid segregates at high frequency upon generalized transduction by phage P22 HT. Transductional segregation of the plasmid-borne duplication can be promoted either by RecA or by the Erf function of P22, indicating that transductional segregation is a consequence of the recombination events that re-circularize the plasmid in the recipient cell. RecA-mediated and Erf-mediated transduction give similar frequencies of duplication segregation and yield the same types of segregation products, indicating that two distinct recombination machineries (RecA + RecBCD and Erf + RecBCD) perform similar or identical recombination reactions on plasmid DNA substrates transduced by bacteriophage P22 HT.

Bacteriophage P22↗
PubMed1991

rec genes and homologous recombination proteins in Escherichia coli.

The twenty-five years since the first published report of recA mutants in Escherichia coli has seen the identification of more than 12 other recombination genes. The genes are usually grouped into three pathways named RecBCD, RecE and RecF for prominent genes which function in each. A proposal is made here that there are two RecF pathways, one sensitive and one resistant to exonuclease I, the SbcB enzyme. Five methods of grouping the genes functionally are discussed: 1) by enzyme activity, 2) by common indirect suppressor, 3) by common phenotype, 4) by common regulation and 5) by epistasis. Five classes of enzyme activities implicated in recombination are discussed according to their involvement in presynapsis, synapsis or postsynapsis: 1) nucleases 2) helicases 3) DNA-binding proteins 4) topoisomerases and 5) ligases. Plausible presynaptic steps for the RecBCD, RecF (SbcBS) and RecE pathways show the common feature of generating 3'-terminated single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). On this ssDNA it is proposed that a RecA protein filament is generated discontinuously. This implies the existence of nucleation and possibly measurement and 3' end protection proteins. Specific proposals are made for which recombination genes might encode such products. Finally the generality of the RecA-ssDNA-filament mechanism of synapsis in the cellular biological world is discussed.

Escherichia coli↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Genetic control of recombination exchange frequency in Escherichia coli K-12.

The frequency of recombination exchanges per unit length of DNA (Freuld) can be estimated by measuring the scale of the genetic map that is the mean statistical distance between two neighboring crossovers. The scales appear to be equal for the alternative pathways of recombination, RecBCD (wild-type cells) or RecF (recBC- sbcB- sbcC- genotypes). The absolute value of the scale depends on specific experimental conditions. recR, recQ, ruv, recJ and recN genes of the RecF pathway of recombination (recBC- sbcBC- cell genotypes) do not appear to be silent in wild-type cells where the RecBCD pathway predominates. On the contrary, these genes are responsible for the Freuld. The list recF504::Kmr greater than recQ61::Tn3 greater than ruv-54 greater than recJ284::Tn10 shows decreasing efficiency in inhibiting recombination exchanges by these mutations. The recN264 mutation gives a small, but opposite effect of increasing the frequency of recombination exchanges. The effect of the recF and recQ mutations appears to be additive, but that is not the case in combinations of ruv-54 with recF504::Kmr or recQ61::Tn3.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1993

Requirement of homologous recombination functions for viability of the Escherichia coli cell that lacks RNase HI and exonuclease V activities.

rnhA224 and rnhA339::cat mutants which lack RNase HI activity were found to constitutively express the sfiA::lacZ operon fusion in a recA+ lexA(+)-dependent manner. The sfiA::lacZ expression (indicating SOS induction) in rnhA mutants was increased to higher levels by the introduction of the recD1903 or recB21 mutation. The SOS induction in these cells was further enhanced by nutritional shift up from casamino acid medium to Luria broth. Although the extent by which the recD and recB mutations increased the sfiA expression in rnhA mutants was similar, the rnhA224 recB21 double mutant had plating efficiencies that were 25-fold lower on casamino acid plates and 5 x 10(5)-fold lower on Luria broth plates than the respective plating efficiencies of either rnhA224 recD or rnhA::cat recD double mutants. Whereas the recD mutation inactivates the exonuclease activity of the RecBCD (Exo V) enzyme without reducing the recombination proficiency of the mutant, the recB21 mutation abolishes both the exonuclease activity and recombination capability. Therefore, in the absence of both RNase HI and Exo V activities, homologous recombination functions become crucial for viability, particularly in Luria broth. Introduction of mutations in recA, recJ and recN exacerbated the phenotypes. It is proposed that R-loops which persist due to the lack of RNase HI activity can be removed by two alternative routes of DNA repair: one involving Exo V, Exo I and DNA polymerase I, and the other involving both the RecBCD and RecF pathways of homologous recombination activities. The isolation of RNA polymerase mutants that constitutively express the SOS response at high levels and exhibit remarkable broth-sensitivity lend strong support to the contention that increased amounts of the persisting R-loop in rnhA mutants growing in Luria broth give rise to a stronger SOS response.

DNA Helicases↗
PubMed1991

Activation of RecA protein in recombination-deficient strains of Escherichia coli following DNA-damaging treatments.

Activation of the RecA protein following UV-irradiation or bleomycin (BM) treatment was measured in rec mutants of E. coli by monitoring beta-galactosidase activity. We provide evidence here that the defect in the recN mutant results in high constitutive and induced levels of activated RecA protein. In all rec mutants studied, with the exception of the recN mutant, induction of enzyme activity, following DNA-damaging treatments, was reduced relative to the wild type. The kinetics of induced sfiA expression indicates that the DNA-unwinding activity of the RecBCD enzyme plays a major role in SOS-signal formation. The RecF protein is not needed for BM induction in strains with a functional RecBCD pathway of recombination. However, a functional product of recF gene is implied in the formation of an efficient inducing signal after UV-irradiation, as well as in the additional processing of BM-induced lesions after exposure to the drug. A fully expressed RecF pathway of recombination does not provide a high level of activated RecA protein following DNA-damaging treatments.

Bleomycin↗
PubMed2006

Over-representation of Chi sequences caused by di-codon increase in Escherichia coli K-12.

Chi sequences (5'-GCTGGTGG-3') are cis-acting 8 bp sequence elements that enhance homologous recombination promoted by the RecBCD pathway in Escherichia coli. The genome of E. coli K-12 MG1655 contains 1009 Chi sequences and this frequency far exceeds the expected value for occurrence of an 8 bp sequence in a genome of this size. It is generally thought that the over-representation of Chi sequences indicates that they have been selected for during evolution because of their function in recombination. The genes from three E. coli strains (K-12, O157 and CFT) were classified into three categories (island, match to other E. coli, and backbone). Island genes have a different base composition and codon usage in comparison with those in the backbone genes, therefore they were relatively new and not yet adapted to the base composition patterns and codon usage typical of the recipient genome. The over-representation of Chi sequences was examined by comparing Chi frequencies and codon frequencies between island and backbone genes. The difference in the CTGGTG di-codon frequency between the backbone and island genes was correlated with the frequency of Chi sequences which were translated in the Leu-Val (-G/CTG/GTG/G-) reading frame in the K-12 strain. These results suggest that the main reading frame of Chi sequences increased as a result of the di-codon CTG-GTG increasing under a genome-wide pressure for adapting to the codon usage and base composition of the E. coli K-12 strain, and that the RecBCD recombinase might adjust its recognition sequence to a frequently occurring oligomer such as G-CTG-GTG-G.

Base Composition↗
PubMed2002

Chlorambucil-induced high mutation rate and suicidal gene downregulation in a base excision repair-deficient Escherichia coli strain.

Chlorambucil (CLB; N,N-bis(2-chloroethyl)-p-aminophenylbutyric acid) is a bifunctional alkylating agent widely used as an anticancer drug and also as an immunosuppressant. Its chemical structure and clinical experience indicate that CLB is mutagenic and carcinogenic. We have investigated the ability of CLB to induce mutations and gene expression changes in the wild-type (WT) Escherichia coli strain AB1157 and in the base excision repair-deficient (alkA1, tag-1) E. coli strain MV1932 using a rifampicin (rif) forward mutation system and a cDNA array method. The results showed that CLB is a potent mutagen in MV1932 cells compared with the E. coli WT strain AB1157, emphasizing the role of 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylases I and II in protecting the cells from CLB-induced DNA damage and subsequent mutations. Global gene expression profiling revealed that nine genes in WT E. coli and 100 genes in MV1932, of a total of 4290 genes, responded at least 2.5-fold to CLB. Interestingly, all of these MV1932 genes were downregulated, while 22% were upregulated in WT cells. The downregulated genes in MV1932 represented most (19/23) functional categories, and unexpectedly, many of them code for proteins responsible for genomic integrity. These include: (i) RecF (SOS-response, adaptive mutation), (ii) RecC (resistance to cross-linking agents), (iii) HepA (DNA repair, a possible substitute of RecBCD), (iv) Ssb (DNA recombination repair, controls RecBCD), and (v) SbcC (genetic recombination). Our results strongly suggest that in addition to the DNA damage itself, the downregulation of central protecting genes is responsible for the decreased cell survival (demonstrated in a previous work) and the increased mutation rate (this work) of DNA repair-deficient cells, when exposed to CLB.

Alkylating Agents↗
PubMed1998

Reconstitution of an SOS response pathway: derepression of transcription in response to DNA breaks.

E. coli responds to DNA damage by derepressing the transcription of about 20 genes that make up the SOS pathway. Genetic analyses have shown that SOS induction in response to double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) breaks requires LexA repressor, and the RecA and RecBCD enzymes--proteins best known for their role as initiators of dsDNA break repair and homologous recombination. Here we demonstrate that purified RecA protein, RecBCD enzyme, single-stranded DNA-binding (SSB) protein, and LexA repressor respond to dsDNA breaks in vitro by derepressing transcription from an SOS promoter. Interestingly, derepression is more rapid if the DNA containing the dsDNA break has a chi recombination hot spot (5'-GCTGGTGG-3'), suggesting a novel regulatory role for one of the most overrepresented octamers in the E. coli genome.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1998

RuvAB acts at arrested replication forks.

Replication arrest leads to the occurrence of DNA double-stranded breaks (DSB). We studied the mechanism of DSB formation by direct measure of the amount of in vivo linear DNA in Escherichia coli cells that lack the RecBCD recombination complex and by genetic means. The RuvABC proteins, which catalyze migration and cleavage of Holliday junctions, are responsible for the occurrence of DSBs at arrested replication forks. In cells proficient for RecBC, RuvAB is uncoupled from RuvC and DSBs may be prevented. This may be explained if a Holliday junction forms upon replication fork arrest, by annealing of the two nascent strands. RecBCD may act on the double-stranded tail prior to the cleavage of the RuvAB-bound junction by RuvC to rescue the blocked replication fork without breakage.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1997

Recombination initiation: easy as A, B, C, D... chi?

The octameric Chi (chi) sequence is a recombination hotspot in Escherichia coli. Recent studies suggest a singular mechanism by which chi regulates not only the nuclease activity of RecBCD enzyme, but also the ability of RecBCD to promote loading of the strand exchange protein, RecA, onto chi-containing DNA.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1992

The role of oriT in tra-dependent enhanced recombination between mini-F-lac-oriT and lambda plac5.

Recombination between F42lac and lambda plac5 is typically 20- to 50-fold more efficient than recombination between chromosomal lac and lambda plac5. This enhancement of recombination is recBCD-dependent and requires the expression of genes from the tra regulon of the F factor. Also required is oriT, the origin of F factor conjugational transfer, which must be located in-cis to the cellular copy of lac. In this study we show that enhanced recombination is not supported by an oriT point mutant that reduces oriT function in conjugation. We also present evidence that the activation of oriT for recombination enhancement involves the same strand-specific nick that is required for conjugal DNA transfer. Although it is thought that the role of oriT in recombination enhancement is related to the facilitated entry of RecBCD enzyme into the DNA duplex, we were unable to detect any double-strand breakage at oriT.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Identification of the Chi site of Haemophilus influenzae as several sequences related to the Escherichia coli Chi site.

The Escherichia coli Chi site 5'-GCTGGTGG-3' modulates the activity of the powerful dsDNA exonuclease and helicase RecBCD. Genome sequence analyses revealed that Chi is frequent on the chromosome and oriented with respect to replication on the E. coli genome. Chi is also present much more frequently than predicted statistically for a random 8-mer sequence. Although it is assumed that Chi is ubiquitous, there is virtually no proof that its features are conserved in other microorganisms. We therefore identified and analysed the Chi sequence of an organism for which the full genome sequence was available, Haemophilus influenzae. The biological test we used is based on our finding that rolling circle plasmids provide a specific substrate for RecBCD analogues in different microorganisms. Unexpectedly, several related sequences, corresponding to 5'-GNTGGTGG-3' and 5'-G(G/C)TGGAGG-3', showed Chi activity. As in E. coli, the H. influenzae Chi sites are frequent on the genome, which is in keeping with the need for frequent Chi sites for dsDNA break repair of chromosomal DNA. Although statistically over-represented, this feature is less marked than that of the E. coli Chi site. In contrast to E. coli, the H. influenzae Chi motifs are only slightly oriented with respect to the replication strand. Thus, although Chi appears to have a highly conserved biological role in attenuating exonuclease activity, its sequence characteristics and statistical representation on the genome may differ according to the particular features of the host.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1999

sbcB sbcC null mutations allow RecF-mediated repair of arrested replication forks in rep recBC mutants.

We have proposed previously that, in Escherichia coli, blockage of replication forks can lead to the reversal of the fork. Annealing of the newly synthesized strands creates a double-stranded end adjacent to a Holliday junction. The junction is migrated away from the DNA end by RuvAB and can be cleaved by RuvC, while RecBCD is required for the repair of the double-stranded tail. Consequently, the rep mutant, in which replication arrests are frequent and fork reversal occurs, requires RecBCD for growth. We show here that the combination of sbcB sbcCD null mutations restores the viability to rep recBC mutants by activation of the RecF pathway of recombination. This shows that the proteins belonging to the RecF pathway are able to process the DNA ends made by the replication fork reversal into a structure that allows recombination-dependent replication restart. However, we confirm that, unlike sbcB null mutations, sbcB15, which suppresses all other recBC mutant defects, does not restore the viability of rep recBC sbcCD strains. We also show that ruvAB inactivation suppresses the lethality and the formation of double-stranded breaks (DSBs) in a rep recBC recF strain, totally deficient for homologous recombination, as well as in rep recBC mutants. This confirms that RuvAB processing of arrested replication forks is independent of the presence of recombination intermediates.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1995

A 7-base-pair sequence protects DNA from exonucleolytic degradation in Lactococcus lactis.

Linear DNA molecules are subject to degradation by various exonucleases in vivo unless their ends are protected. It has been demonstrated that a specific 8-bp sequence, 5'-GCTGGTGG-3', named Chi, can protect linear double-stranded DNA from the major Escherichia coli exonuclease RecBCD. Chi protects linear replication products of rolling-circle plasmids from RecBCD degradation in vivo, in agreement with observations in vitro. A unique 7-bp sequence, 5'-GCGCGTG-3', is shown to protect similar replication products from degradation in Lactococcus lactis strains but not in more distantly related Gram-positive bacteria. The properties of this sequence in L. lactis correspond to those of a Chi site. Linear plasmid replication products have been detected in numerous prokaryotes, suggesting the widespread existence of short species-specific sequences that preserve linear DNA from extensive degradation by host cell exonucleases.

Base Composition↗
PubMed2004

DNA helicase activity of the RecD protein from Deinococcus radiodurans.

The bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans is extremely resistant to high levels of DNA-damaging agents, including gamma rays and ultraviolet light that can lead to double-stranded DNA breaks. Surprisingly, the organism does not appear to have a RecBCD enzyme, an enzyme that is critical for double-strand break repair in many other bacteria. The D. radiodurans genome does encode a protein whose closest characterized homologues are RecD subunits of RecBCD enzymes in other bacteria. We have purified this novel D. radiodurans RecD protein and characterized its biochemical activities. The D. radiodurans RecD protein is a DNA helicase that unwinds short (20 base pairs) DNA duplexes with either a 5'-single-stranded tail or a forked end, but not blunt-ended or 3'-tailed duplexes. Duplexes with 10-12 nucleotide (nt) 5'-tails are good unwinding substrates and are bound tightly, while DNA with shorter tails (4-8 nt) are poor unwinding substrates and are bound much less tightly. The RecD protein is much less efficient at unwinding slightly longer substrates (52 or 76 base pairs, with 12 nt 5'-tails). Unwinding of the longer substrates is stimulated somewhat (4-5-fold) by the single-stranded DNA-binding protein from D. radiodurans. These results show that the D. radiodurans RecD protein is a DNA helicase with 5'-3' polarity and low processivity.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed2001

Impairment of lagging strand synthesis triggers the formation of a RuvABC substrate at replication forks.

The holD gene codes for the psi subunit of the Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III holoenzyme, a component of the gamma complex clamp loader. A holD mutant was isolated for the first time in a screen for mutations that increase the frequency of tandem repeat deletions. In contrast to tandem repeat deletions in wild-type strains, deletion events stimulated by the holD mutation require RecA. They do not require RecF, and hence do not result from the recombinational repair of gaps, arguing against uncoupling of the leading and lagging strand polymerases in the holD mutant. The holD recBC combination of mutations is lethal and holD recBts recCts strains suffer DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) at restrictive temperature. DSBs require the presence of the Holliday junction-specific enzymes RuvABC and are prevented in the presence of RecBCD. We propose that impairment of replication due to the holD mutation causes the arrest of the entire replisome; consequently, Holliday junctions are formed by replication fork reversal, and unequal crossing over during RecA- and RecBCD-mediated re-incorporation of reversed forks causes the hyper-recombination phenotype.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1987

Genetic functions promoting homologous recombination in Escherichia coli: a study of inversions in phage lambda.

We have studied homologous recombination in a derivative of phage lambda containing two 1.4-kb repeats in inverted orientation. Inversion of the intervening 2.5-kb segment occurred efficiently by the Escherichia coli RecBC pathway but markedly less efficiently by the lambda Red pathway or the E. coli RecE or RecF pathways. Inversion by the RecBCD pathway was stimulated by Chi sites located to the right of the invertible segment; this stimulation decreased exponentially by a factor of about 2 for each 2.2 kb between the invertible segment and the Chi site. In addition to RecA protein and RecBCD enzyme, inversion by the RecBC pathway required single-stranded DNA binding protein, DNA gyrase, DNA polymerase I and DNA ligase. Inversion appeared to occur either intra- or intermolecularly. These results are discussed in the framework of a current molecular model for the RecBC pathway of homologous recombination.

Bacteriophage lambda↗