Structural and functional characterization of the recR gene of Streptomyces

The recR gene product is necessary for homologous recombination and recombinational DNA repair in eubacteria. We report the isolation and sequencing of the recR gene from Streptomyces coelicolor. It encodes a protein of 198 amino acids, with a predicted molecular mass of 22 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence shows significant similarity to that of RecR proteins from other bacteria, including Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. Like these, Streptomyces RecR contains potential helix-hairpin-helix, zinc finger and ATP-binding motifs, as well as the Toprim domain which is present also in topoisomerases of Types IA and II, primases and nucleases of the OLD family. The recR genes of Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis are immediately preceded by a small ORF (orf12 and orf107, respectively). An equivalent ORF (orf1) is also found in Streptomyces. S. lividans recR mutants, obtained either by insertional inactivation of recR or by deletion of the gene together with the preceding ORF, displayed increased sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents (such as UV light and methylmethanesulfonate), when compared with the wild-type strain. Both mutants could be complemented by the wild-type orflrecR genes and also by the recR gene alone. Based on these results, orf1 appears to be dispensable for the repair function of Streptomyces RecR. In studies of heterologous complementation, the B. subtilis recR region (orf107recR) was found to complement the S. lividans deltaorflrecR mutant, but the equivalent region from E. coli (orf12recR) could not. However, in the absence of orf107, B. subtilis recR was unable to restore the wild-type phenotype to the Streptomyces deletion mutant.