Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Detection of Homologous Recombination Intermediates via Proximity Ligation and Quantitative PCR in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Published on: September 11, 2022
Rad54: the Swiss Army knife of homologous recombination?
Wolf-Dietrich Heyer1, Xuan Li, Michael Rolfsmeier
1Sections of Microbiology, University of California Davis, CA 95616-8665, USA. wdheyer@ucdavis.edu
Abstract:
Homologous recombination (HR) is a ubiquitous cellular pathway that mediates transfer of genetic information between homologous or near homologous (homeologous) DNA sequences. During meiosis it ensures proper chromosome segregation in the first division. Moreover, HR is critical for the tolerance and repair of DNA damage, as well as in the recovery of stalled and broken replication forks. Together these functions preserve genomic stability and assure high fidelity transmission of the genetic material in the mitotic and meiotic cell divisions. This review will focus on the Rad54 protein, a member of the Snf2-family of SF2 helicases, which translocates on dsDNA but does not display strand displacement activity typical for a helicase. A wealth of genetic, cytological, biochemical and structural data suggests that Rad54 is a core factor of HR, possibly acting at multiple stages during HR in concert with the central homologous pairing protein Rad51.
Related Concept Videos
Homologous Recombination
Homologous Recombination
Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
Restarting Stalled Replication Forks
Long-patch Base Excision Repair
Crossing Over
