Nonconservative Recombination in Escherichia coli

Homologous recombination between two duplex DNA molecules might result in two duplex DNA molecules (conservative) or, alternatively, it might result in only one recombinant duplex DNA molecule (nonconservative). Here we present evidence that the mode of homologous recombination is nonconservative in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1992-07, Vol.89 (13), p.5912-5916
Main Authors: Takahashi, Noriko K., Yamamoto, Kenji, Kitamura, Yoshihiro, Luo, Si-Qin, Yoshikura, Hiroshi, Kobayashi, Ichizo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alleles
Bacterial Proteins - genetics
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
DNA, Bacterial - genetics
DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics
Escherichia coli
Escherichia coli - genetics
Escherichia coli Proteins
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene conversion
Genetics
Genic rearrangement. Recombination. Transposable element
Homologous recombination
Insect colonies
Medical genetics
Molecular and cellular biology
Molecular genetics
Molecules
Plasmids
Recombination, Genetic
Replication origin
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Summary:Homologous recombination between two duplex DNA molecules might result in two duplex DNA molecules (conservative) or, alternatively, it might result in only one recombinant duplex DNA molecule (nonconservative). Here we present evidence that the mode of homologous recombination is nonconservative in an Escherichia coli strain with an active RecF pathway (a recBC sbcBC mutant). We employed plasmid substrates that enable us to recover both recombination products. These plasmids carry two mutant alleles of neo gene in direct orientation, two drug-resistance marker genes, and two compatible replication origins. After their transfer to the cells followed by immediate selection for the recombination to neo+, we could recover only one recombination product. A double-strand break at the region of homology increased this nonconservative recombination. If a nonconservative exchange should leave an end, this end may stimulate another exchange. Such "successive half crossing-over events" can explain several recombination-related phenomena in E. coli, including the origin of plasmid linear multimers and of transcribable, non-replicated recombination products, and also in yeast and mammalian cells.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.89.13.5912