Specific stimulation of recA-independent plasmid recombination by a DNA sequence at a distance

Xin Bi, Yi L. Lyu, Leroy F. Liu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Recombination between directly repeated DNA sequences can occur via both recA-dependent and recA-independent mechanisms. They are differentially affected by the length of the repeat and the distance separating the repeats, respectively. Interestingly, a 623 base-pairs long DNA sequence of the plasmid pBR322 was found to stimulate specifically recA-independent recombination between tandem repeats. Analysis of this stimulating sequence has revealed the following features. (1). It is cis-acting. (2). No specific region of it appears to be essential for the effect. Moreover, a neutral sequence of comparable size was able to substitute for the sequence in influencing recombination. (3). The sequence affects recombination between tandem repeats within the tetA but not the bla gene of pBR322. (4). The sequence exerts its effect in a position-dependent manner. (5). It changes not only the frequency but also the products of recombination. Our results provide an example that recA-independent recombination can be influenced by DNA sequences at a distance.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)890-902
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Molecular Biology
Volume247
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 14 1995
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Deletion
  • Plasmid recombination
  • Reca-independent
  • Stimulatory
  • Tandem repeats

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Structural Biology
  • Molecular Biology

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