Double-strand break repair in bacteria: a view from Bacillus subtilis

• Published in: FEMS microbiology reviews 2011-11, Vol.35 (6), p.1055-1081
• Main Authors: Ayora, Silvia, Carrasco, Begoña, Cárdenas, Paula P., César, Carolina E., Cañas, Cristina, Yadav, Tribhuwan, Marchisone, Chiara, Alonso, Juan C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacillus subtilis; Bacillus subtilis - enzymology; Bacillus subtilis - genetics; Bacillus subtilis - metabolism; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - metabolism; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Chromosomes; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Dismantling; DNA; DNA biosynthesis; DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; DNA damage; DNA Repair; Double-strand break repair; double‐strand break; endprocessing; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Homologous Recombination; Homology; Intermediates; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; NHEJ; protein localization; protein–protein interaction; Rec A Recombinases - genetics; Rec A Recombinases - metabolism; RecA protein; recombination functions; Repair; Yeast
• ISSN: 0168-6445; 1574-6976; 1574-6976
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2011.00272.x

Abstract In all living organisms, the response to double-strand breaks (DSBs) is critical for the maintenance of chromosome integrity. Homologous recombination (HR), which utilizes a homologous template to prime DNA synthesis and to restore genetic information lost at the DNA break site, is a complex multistep response. In Bacillus subtilis, this response can be subdivided into five general acts: (1) recognition of the break site(s) and formation of a repair center (RC), which enables cells to commit to HR; (2) end-processing of the broken end(s) by different avenues to generate a 3′-tailed duplex and RecN-mediated DSB ‘coordination’; (3) loading of RecA onto single-strand DNA at the RecN-induced RC and concomitant DNA strand exchange; (4) branch migration and resolution, or dissolution, of the recombination intermediates, and replication restart, followed by (5) disassembly of the recombination apparatus formed at the dynamic RC and segregation of sister chromosomes. When HR is impaired or an intact homologous template is not available, error-prone nonhomologous end-joining directly rejoins the two broken ends by ligation. In this review, we examine the functions that are known to contribute to DNA DSB repair in B. subtilis, and compare their properties with those of other bacterial phyla. Double strand break repair in bacteria