Abstract
A protein of molecular weight 38,000 is important in various cellular functions, such as genetic recombination, DNA repair, mutagenesis, induction of prophages, cell division, and DNA replication in Escherichia coli. Correspondingly, recA protein has various activities in vitro . Further work has revealed that recA protein promotes (a) ATP-dependent pairing of homologous DNA molecules, if at least one of them has a single-stranded region, (b) ATP-dependent unidirectional growth of heteroduplex joints, (c) reciprocal strand exchange, (d) ATPy-and single-stranded DNA-dependent unwinding of duplex DNA; (e) ATP-dependent extensive unwinding of duplex DNA, (f) ATP- and single-stranded DNA-dependent proteolysis of lexA protein and some prophage repressors, (g) single-stranded DNA-dependent ATP hydrolysis, (h) double-stranded DNA-dependent ATP hydrolysis, and (i) ATP hydrolysis dependent on the presence of both homologous double-stranded DNA and single-stranded DNA. recA protein is also a potentially useful reagent in techniques for gene manipulation, such as site-specific mutagenesis. This chapter also outlines the assay of activities of recA Protein.
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