Abstract
The recA protein of Escherichia coli promotes both genetic recombination and the SOS functions, including repair of damaged DNA, a major class of radiation and drug mutagenesis, and the induction of temperate bacteriophages (Radman 1974; Witkin 1974). However, its role in these processes has remained unknown. Recently, it has been realized that the recA protein is inducible. Treatments such as ultraviolet (UV) irradiation that cause induction of phages and invoke the capacity for mutagenic DNA repair also cause recA protein to accumulate (up to tens of thousands of copies) in the cell (McEntee 1977; Gudas and Mount 1977). What is the biochemical activity of this protein? We have found that recA protein is directly responsible for the critical event in temperate phage induction: the inactivation of phage repressors (Roberts et al. 1978). Purified recA protein inactivates bacteriophage λ repressor by promoting its cleavage into two fragments in an ATP-dependent reaction...
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