Presence Of RecA Research Articles

PcrA Dissociates RecA Filaments and the SsbA and RecO Mediators Counterbalance Such Activity.

PcrA depletion is lethal in wild-type Bacillus subtilis cells. The PcrA DNA helicase contributes to unwinding RNA from the template strand, backtracking the RNA polymerase, rescuing replication-transcription conflicts, and disassembling RecA from single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) by poorly understood mechanisms. We show that, in the presence of RecA, circa one PcrA/plasmid-size circular ssDNA (cssDNA) molecule hydrolyzes ATP at a rate similar to that on the isolated cssDNA. PcrA K37A, which poorly hydrolyses ATP, fails to displace RecA from cssDNA. SsbA inhibits and blocks the ATPase activities of PcrA and RecA, respectively. RecO partially antagonizes and counteracts the negative effect of SsbA on PcrA- and RecA-mediated ATP hydrolysis, respectively. Conversely, multiple PcrA molecules are required to inhibit RecA·ATP-mediated DNA strand exchange (DSE). RecO and SsbA poorly antagonize the PcrA inhibitory effect on RecA·ATP-mediated DSE. We propose that two separable PcrA functions exist: an iterative translocating PcrA monomer strips RecA from cssDNA to prevent unnecessary recombination with the mediators SsbA and RecO balancing such activity; and a PcrA cluster that disrupts DNA transactions, as RecA-mediated DSE.

One-Step Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) Modification: Transfer of the Reporter Vector into BAC/RecA Cells and Selection of Co-Integrates.

In one-step bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) modification, recombination of the reporter vector with the BAC-leading to the modified BAC-is facilitated by the presence of RecA. Recombinants are selected for by growth in the presence of chloramphenicol, ampicillin, and tetracycline. Only bacteria containing correctly modified BACs and copies of pSV1.RecA will be selected. Unmodified BACs (i.e., those lacking a pLD53.SC2/A-box insert) are eliminated by exposure to ampicillin. Free reporter plasmid remaining in the BAC host bacteria will also be eliminated, because this vector requires the π protein to replicate. The co-integrates are selected by growth at high temperature, thereby eliminating the RecA plasmid. Successful modification of the BAC-formation of the co-integrate-is confirmed in separate amplification reactions.

RESTRICTION FRAGMENT LENGTH POLYMORPHISM-BASED IDENTIFICATION OF 'DICKEYA SOLANI ', A NEW GENETIC CLADE OF DICKEYA spp.

Bacteria belonging to Pectobacterium and Dickeya spp. (previously known as pectinolytic Erwinia spp.) cause soft rot diseases in a great variety of crops worldwide, particularly in potato, tomato, maize, and ornamental plants and other hosts. Infections by these pathogens may lead to severe economic losses to the crops, partially due to the lack of effective detection/identification tools and incomplete knowledge of their behavior in the environment. Since 2005, an increase in blackleg and soft rot diseases of potato has been observed in Europe due to the appearance of the new genetic clade of Dickeya spp. provisionally named ‘Dickeya solani’. This pathogen is more aggressive in most cases than bacteria of the Pectobacterium species and cause plant tissue maceration under a wide range of conditions. The present study provides a simple and reliable three-step PCR-based method for rapid differentiation of ‘D. solani’ isolates from other Dickeya spp. and Pectobacterium spp. Bacterial isolates are classified as Dickeya spp. on the basis of the PCR reaction with Dickeya spp. specific primers. Isolates identified positively as Dickeya spp. are tested by PCR for the presence of recA with the primers universal for bacteria of the former genus Erwinia. The PCR product is then digested with XbaI restriction endonuclease. The differentiation of ‘D. solani’ is based on the presence of a unique XbaI restriction site in the ‘D. solani’ recA gene that is absent in the recA sequences of other Dickeya species.

DprA/Smf protein localizes at the DNA uptake machinery in competent Bacillus subtilis cells

BackgroundDprA is a widely conserved bacterial protein and has been shown to confer an important function during transformation in competent cells, possibly through protection of incoming DNA. B. subtilis DprA (called Smf) and has been shown to play an important role during transformation with chromosomal DNA, but its mode of action is unknown.ResultsWe show that B. subtilis DprA/Smf is more important for transformation with plasmid DNA than with chromosomal DNA. A functional Smf-YFP fusion localized as discrete foci to the cell pole in a subset of cells grown to competence, dependent on the ComK master transcription factor. Smf-YFP foci colocalized with ComGA-CFP. However, a considerable number of cells having high ComK activity contained Smf dispersed throughout the cytosol and lacked a polar Smf assembly. The absence of polar Smf-YFP foci in these cells strongly correlated with the absence of ComGA-CFP foci, and comGA mutant cells mostly lacked polar Smf-YFP foci. Smf formed polar assemblies in the absence of RecA, and RecA formed dynamic threads after addition of DNA in a smf deletion strain. Upon addition of DNA, Smf-YFP foci relocalized from the poles to the cell centre, dependent on the presence of RecA protein.ConclusionOur data show that Smf is recruited to the polar competence machinery, and that polar Smf assembly requires a functional DNA uptake complex. High ComK levels drive expression of Smf in 20% of all cells grown to competence, but not all competent cells contain a polar DNA uptake machinery, showing that ComK activity is necessary but not sufficient to achieve assembly of the uptake machinery in all cells. Smf and RecA localize independently of each other, in agreement with our finding that Smf is much more important for plasmid transformation than RecA, but RecA influences the dynamic localization pattern of Smf. Our data show that DprA/Smf acts downstream of the DNA uptake machinery, and support the idea that Smf protects incoming ssDNA, possibly in conjunction with RecA.

RecFOR proteins are essential for Pol V-mediated translesion synthesis and mutagenesis

When the replication fork moves through the template DNA containing lesions, daughter-strand gaps are formed opposite lesion sites. These gaps are subsequently filled-in either by translesion synthesis (TLS) or by homologous recombination. RecA filaments formed within these gaps are key intermediates for both of the gap-filling pathways. For instance, Pol V, the major lesion bypass polymerase in Escherichia coli, requires a functional interaction with the tip of the RecA filament. Here, we show that all three recombination mediator proteins RecFOR are needed to build a functionally competent RecA filament that supports efficient Pol V-mediated TLS in the presence of ssDNA-binding protein (SSB). A positive contribution of RecF protein to Pol V lesion bypass is demonstrated. When Pol III and Pol V are both present, Pol III imparts a negative effect on Pol V-mediated lesion bypass that is counteracted by the combined action of RecFOR and SSB. Mutations in recF, recO or recR gene abolish induced mutagenesis in E. coli.

Probing the DNA sequence specificity of Escherichia coli RECA protein

Escherichia coli RecA protein catalyzes the central DNA strand-exchange step of homologous recombination, which is essential for the repair of double-stranded DNA breaks. In this reaction, RecA first polymerizes on single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) to form a right-handed helical filament with one monomer per 3 nt of ssDNA. RecA generally binds to any sequence of ssDNA but has a preference for GT-rich sequences, as found in the recombination hot spot Chi (5′-GCTGGTGG-3′). When this sequence is located within an oligonucleotide, binding of RecA is phased relative to it, with a periodicity of three nucleotides. This implies that there are three separate nucleotide-binding sites within a RecA monomer that may exhibit preferences for the four different nucleotides. Here we have used a RecA coprotease assay to further probe the ssDNA sequence specificity of E.coli RecA protein. The extent of self-cleavage of a λ repressor fragment in the presence of RecA, ADP-AlF4 and 64 different trinucleotide-repeating 15mer oligonucleotides was determined. The coprotease activity of RecA is strongly dependent on the ssDNA sequence, with TGG-repeating sequences giving by far the highest coprotease activity, and GC and AT-rich sequences the lowest. For selected trinucleotide-repeating sequences, the DNA-dependent ATPase and DNA-binding activities of RecA were also determined. The DNA-binding and coprotease activities of RecA have the same sequence dependence, which is essentially opposite to that of the ATPase activity of RecA. The implications with regard to the biological mechanism of RecA are discussed.

RecA-mediated multistrand formation for cloning PCR products into vectors: Simplified process for 5′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends

I have developed a novel rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technology that uses multistranded DNA formation mediated by the RecA protein. Multistranded DNA can readily be formed at the terminus of double-stranded DNA by a complementary single-stranded DNA in the presence of RecA and exonuclease I. The possibility of applying this finding to the direct cloning of a 5′-RACE product onto a cDNA fragment, which does not require the use of restriction endonucleases, was explored. The results show that the terminal multistranded structure formed by the RecA-mediated reaction can be applied to RACE systems. Modifications to the RACE protocol to improve the effectiveness of the technique are also suggested.

A novel means of asymmetric linker attachment to DNA molecule by RecA-mediated multistranded DNA formation

We have developed a novel asymmetric linker attachment technology that utilizes multistranded DNA formation mediated by the RecA protein and Exonuclease I. Multistranded DNA can readily be formed at the terminus of double-stranded DNA by a complementary oligonucleotide in the presence of RecA and Exonuclease I. We have explored the possibility of applying this finding to the asymmetric attachment of linkers to specific DNA termini. We show that these unique properties of the terminal triple-stranded structure can be applied to directly clone specific DNA sequences.

Molecular Cloning and Characterization of the Salmonella enterica Serovar Paratyphi B rma Gene, Which Confers Multiple Drug Resistance in Escherichia coli

A genomic library from a strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi B that exhibits multiple drug resistance (MDR) was constructed in Escherichia coli. Two of the recombinant plasmids, pNOR5 and pNOR5, conferred resistance only to fluoroquinolones in E. coli, whereas the third, pNCTR4, conferred the MDR phenotype. Sequence and subcloning analysis showed that it is the presence of RecA on the first two plasmids which confers resistance to fluoroquinolones in E. coli. A similar analysis established that the MDR phenotype conferred by pNCTR4 is due to a gene, rma (resistance to multiple antibiotics), which encodes a 13.5-kDa polypeptide. The derived sequence for Rma exhibits a high degree of similarity to those of a group of MarA-like activators that confer MDR in E. coli. A MalE-Rma fusion protein was purified to near homogeneity and was shown to interact with a DNA fragment carrying a MarA operator sequence. Furthermore, overexpression of rma in E. coli caused changes in the outer membrane protein profile that were similar to those reported for MarA. These results suggest that Rma might act as a transcriptional activator of the marA regulon.

A model for SOS-lesion-targeted mutations in Escherichia coli.

The UmuD'2C protein complex (Escherichia coli pol V) is a low-fidelity DNA polymerase (pol) that copies damaged DNA in the presence of RecA, single-stranded-DNA binding protein (SSB) and the beta,gamma-processivity complex of E. coli pol III (ref. 4). Here we propose a model to explain SOS-lesion-targeted mutagenesis, assigning specific biochemical functions for each protein during translesion synthesis. (SOS lesion-targeted mutagenesis occurs when pol V is induced as part of the SOS response to DNA damage and incorrectly incorporates nucleotides opposite template lesions.) Pol V plus SSB catalyses RecA filament disassembly in the 3' to 5' direction on the template, ahead of the polymerase, in a reaction that does not involve ATP hydrolysis. Concurrent ATP-hydrolysis-driven filament disassembly in the 5' to 3' direction results in a bidirectional stripping of RecA from the template strand. The bidirectional collapse of the RecA filament restricts DNA synthesis by pol V to template sites that are proximal to the lesion, thereby minimizing the occurrence of untargeted mutations at undamaged template sites.

RuvABC-dependent double-strand breaks in dnaBts mutants require recA.

Replication fork arrest can cause DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). These DSBs are caused by the action of the Holliday junction resolvase RuvABC, indicating that they are made by resolution of Holliday junctions formed at blocked forks. In this work, we study the homologous recombination functions required for RuvABC-mediated breakage in cells deficient for the accessory replicative helicase Rep or deficient for the main Escherichia coli replicative helicase DnaB. We show that, in the rep mutant, RuvABC-mediated breakage occurs in the absence of the homologous recombination protein RecA. In contrast, in dnaBts mutants, most of the RuvABC-mediated breakage depends on the presence of RecA, which suggests that RecA participates in the formation of Holliday junctions at forks blocked by the inactivation of DnaB. This action of RecA does not involve the induction of the SOS response and does not require any of the recombination proteins essential for the presynaptic step of homologous recombination, RecBCD, RecF or RecO. Consequently, our observations suggest a new function for RecA at blocked replication forks, and we propose that RecA acts by promoting homologous recombination without the assistance of known presynaptic proteins.

Cleavage of Holliday Junctions by the Escherichia coli RuvABC Complex

The Escherichia coli RuvABC proteins process recombination intermediates during genetic recombination and recombinational repair. Although early biochemical studies indicated distinct RuvAB-mediated branch migration and RuvC-mediated Holliday junction resolution reactions, more recent studies have shown that the three proteins act together as a "resolvasome" complex. In this work we have used recombination intermediates made by RecA to determine whether the RuvAB proteins affect the sequence specificity of the RuvC resolvase. We find that RuvAB proteins do not alter significantly the site specificity of RuvC-dependent cleavage, although under certain conditions, they do affect the efficiency of cleavage at particular sites. The presence of RecA also influences cleavage at some sites. We also show that the RuvAB proteins act upon transient strand exchange intermediates made using substrates that have the opposite polarity of those preferred by RecA. Together, our results allow us to develop further a model for the recombinational repair of DNA lesions that lead to the formation of post-replication gaps during DNA replication. The novel features of this model are as follows: (i) the RuvABC resolvasome recognizes joints made by RecA; (ii) resolution by RuvABC occurs at specific sites containing the RuvC consensus cleavage sequence 5'-(A/T)TT downward arrow(G/C)-3'; and (iii) Holliday junction resolution often occurs close to the initiating gap without significant heteroduplex DNA formation.

UmuD'(2)C is an error-prone DNA polymerase, Escherichia coli pol V.

The damage-inducible UmuD' and UmuC proteins are required for most SOS mutagenesis in Escherichia coli. Our recent assay to reconstitute this process in vitro, using a native UmuD'(2)C complex, revealed that the highly purified preparation contained DNA polymerase activity. Here we eliminate the possibility that this activity is caused by a contaminating DNA polymerase and show that it is intrinsic to UmuD'(2)C. E. coli dinB has recently been shown to have DNA polymerase activity (pol IV). We suggest that UmuD'(2)C, the fifth DNA polymerase discovered in E. coli, be designated as E. coli pol V. In the presence of RecA, beta sliding clamp, gamma clamp loading complex, and E. coli single-stranded binding protein (SSB), pol V's polymerase activity is highly "error prone" at both damaged and undamaged DNA template sites, catalyzing efficient bypass of abasic lesions that would otherwise severely inhibit replication by pol III holoenzyme complex (HE). Pol V bypasses a site-directed abasic lesion with an efficiency about 100- to 150-fold higher than pol III HE. In accordance with the "A-rule," dAMP is preferentially incorporated opposite the lesion. A pol V mutant, UmuD'(2)C104 (D101N), has no measurable lesion bypass activity. A kinetic analysis shows that addition of increasing amounts of pol III to a fixed level of pol V inhibits lesion bypass, demonstrating that both enzymes compete for free 3'-OH template-primer ends. We show, however, that despite competition for primer-3'-ends, pol V and pol III HE can nevertheless interact synergistically to stimulate synthesis downstream from a template lesion.

The Mutagenesis Proteins UmuD′ and UmuC Prevent Lethal Frameshifts While Increasing Base Substitution Mutations

Error-prone DNA repair consists of replicative filling-in of DNA gaps carrying lesions. We have reconstituted E. coli SOS error-prone repair using purified DNA polymerase III holoenzyme, SSB, RecA, UmuD′, a UmuC fusion protein, and a gap lesion plasmid. In the absence of UmuDC, or without SOS induction, replication skips over the lesion, forming mostly one-nucleotide deletions. These cause translational frameshifts that usually inactivate genes. UmuD′ and UmuC, in the presence of RecA and SSB, stimulate translesion replication and change its mutagenic specificity such that deletions are prevented and base substitutions are increased. This results in mutagenic but nondetrimental gap repair and provides an effective mechanism for generating genetic variation in bacteria adapting to environmental stress .

Purification of a Soluble UmuD′C Complex from Escherichia coli: COOPERATIVE BINDING OF UmuD′C TO SINGLE-STRANDED DNA

The Escherichia coli UmuD' and UmuC proteins play essential roles in SOS-induced mutagenesis. Previous studies investigating the molecular mechanisms of mutagenesis have been hindered by the lack of availability of a soluble UmuC protein. We report the extensive purification of a soluble UmuD'C complex and its interactions with DNA. The molecular mass of the complex is estimated to be 70 kDa, suggesting that the complex consists of one UmuC (46 kDa) and two UmuD' (12 kDa) molecules. In contrast to its inability to bind to double-stranded DNA, UmuD'C binds cooperatively to single-stranded DNA as measured by agarose gel electrophoresis and confirmed by steady-state fluorescence depolarization. A Hill coefficient, n = 3, characterizes the binding of UmuD'C to M13 DNA and to a 600 nucleotide DNA oligomer, suggesting that at least three protein complexes may interact cooperatively when binding to DNA. The apparent equilibrium binding constant of UmuD'C to single-stranded DNA is approximately 300 nM. Binding of the complex to a short, 80 nucleotide, DNA oligonucleotide was detectable by fluorescence depolarization, but it did not appear to be cooperative. Binding of UmuD'C to single-stranded M13 DNA causes an acceleration of the protein-DNA complex, suggesting that the longer DNA may undergo compaction. The UmuD'C complex associates with RecA-coated DNA, and the UmuD'C complex remains bound to DNA in the presence of RecA.

Sequence-specific covalent modification of DNA by cross-linking oligonucleotides. Catalysis by RecA and implication for the mechanism of synaptic joint formation.

Oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) were conjugated to chlorambucil and used as affinity labeling reagents to study joint molecule formation by the Escherichia coli recombinase recA. Chlorambucil is a bifunctional nitrogen mustard which alkylates the N-7 position of guanine in the major groove of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). Incoming ODNs at least 30 nucleotides long cross-linked to a long homologous duplex DNA in the presence of recA and ATP gamma S. Efficient cross-linkage to the complementary recipient strand of the joint occurred preferentially at guanines positioned 5' relative to the appended chlorambucil group. The pattern of recipient strand alkylation was identical to that observed within a protein-free duplex and indicated that strand exchange had occurred prior to alkylation. Modification of the outgoing homologous strand of the joint was less efficient and spanned a 15-20 nucleotide long region offset to the 3' side of the tethered chlorambucil. Alkylation of both recipient and outgoing strands in the same joint molecule occurred with low frequency. By contrast, no affinity alkylation of the displaced strand was observed within a synthetic D-loop. These reaction patterns suggest that the incoming ODN approaches from the minor groove of the duplex to yield a poststrand exchange joint in which the major groove of the newly formed heteroduplex harbors the outgoing strand in an unpaired state. No evidence was obtained for the involvement of a triple-stranded DNA intermediate in recombination.

RecA-Assisted Rapid Enrichment of Specific Clones from Model DNA Libraries

An approach to library screening is being developed, in which the desired clone is "fished" out of a mixture of all the recombinants in a library with a RecA-coated probe. In the current embodiment of this method, we used as a probe the (+) strand of an M13 phage containing a fragment of the human albumin gene and a (dA)49 stretch. We screened a library of two plasmids, one containing the same albumin fragment as the probe, and one heterologous to the probe in 50-100 fold molar excess. The plasmids were linearized. Probe and library were reacted in the presence of RecA, the mixture was loaded onto an oligo(dT) column, which retained the probe-target complex by base-repairing to the dAs of the probe, the uncaptured plasmids were washed, and the probe-target complex was released from the column, religated and propagated into E. coli. Recovery of the homologous target was 15-28%, and enrichment for the homologous plasmid was 200 to 400-fold. This approach may provide a general method for expedited DNA library screening.

Substrate specificity of the Escherichia coli RuvC protein. Resolution of three- and four-stranded recombination intermediates.

The specificity of the Escherichia coli RuvC Holliday junction resolvase has been investigated in vitro. RuvC protein cleaves synthetic DNA substrates that model three- or four-stranded recombination intermediates but fails to act upon Y junctions, G/A mismatches, heterologous loop structures, or two-stranded branched junctions. RuvC therefore differs from endonuclease VII of bacteriophage T4 which exhibits broad range specificity. Using related three- and four-stranded synthetic DNA junctions, we show that RuvC cleaves both junctions at the same DNA sequence and requires a region of homology at the junction point. The action of RuvC on three- and four-stranded recombination intermediates made by RecA was also investigated. We found that RuvC fails to resolve three-stranded intermediates in the presence of RecA, although four-stranded intermediates are resolved under the same conditions. However, both three- and four-stranded intermediates are substrates for the nuclease after removal of RecA. We interpret these differences in terms of the contiguity of the RecA nucleoprotein filament which may, under certain conditions, limit access to the Holliday junction resolvase.

Blockage of polymerase-catalyzed DNA chain elongation by chemically modified cytosine residues in templates and the release of blockage for readthrough.

The Klenow fragment-mediated in vitro DNA elongation was inhibited by the presence of a class of modified cytosines in the template DNA, i.e., the N4-amino(and -methoxy)-5,6-dihydrocytosine-6-sulfonate residues. We have studied the mechanism of the blockage, using as templates bisulfite-hydrazine (and -methoxyamine)- modified single strand phage-M13mp2 DNA and synthetic oligonucleotides. Both N4-amino-5,6-dihydrocytosine-6-sulfonate and N4-methoxy-5,6-dihydrocytosine-6-sulfonate residues blocked the elongation at one nucleotide before these sites. In this blockage, the idling of polymerase at the lesion site due to its 3'-5' exonuclease action appears not to play a major role, because Sequenase that lacks the 3'-5' exonuclease activity still could not readthrough these sites. It seems possible that conformational distortion of the template near these sites is responsible for the blockage, because on conversion of this 5,6-dihydropyrimidine-6-sulfonate structure into a planar pyrimidine, a complete restoration of polymerase-readthrough resulted. In the presence of RecA and SSB proteins, the Klenow fragment was able to partially readthrough these sites. Since there was no decrease in the 3'-5' exonuclease activity during this readthrough, it seems that the binding of these proteins relaxes the distortion in the modified template to allow the polymerase to readthrough the lesion site. These sites on phage DNA can be lethal but also are capable of inducing C-to-T transitions. This observation suggests that these sites can be read by E. coli DNA polymerases in vivo with accompanying errors.

Differential recognition of ultraviolet lesions by RecA protein. Possible mechanism for preferential targeting of SOS mutagenesis to (6-4) dipyrimidine sites

A knowledge of the biochemical basis for UV-induced mutagenesis requires an understanding of the interaction of SOS-activated proteins with DNA polymerase at the replication-blocking dipyrimidine lesions. We have suggested previously that the presence of RecA in this multiprotein complex might be an important feature of induced mutagenesis because RecA associates preferentially with UV-irradiated double-stranded DNA compared to nonirradiated DNA. Previous work by others has indicated that (6-4) dipyrimidine lesions might be more mutagenic than the more common cyclobutane dimer. We have explored the possibility that RecA associates more efficiently with (6-4) lesions than with cyclobutane lesions. We have found that RecA binds DNA with (6-4) lesions much more efficiently than DNA with solely cyclobutane lesions. The distinction between substrates is probably achieved by differential nucleation of the RecA nucleoprotein filament. To investigate the structural basis for differential binding of RecA, we have estimated the unwinding of duplex DNA introduced by (6-4) and cyclobutane lesions. Our data indicate that (6-4) lesions introduce much greater distortion than cyclobutane dimers. We conclude that RecA probably binds preferentially at sites of (6-4) lesions in DNA and that this localization of RecA might target the mutagenic response more frequently to those sites.