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Published on: December 17, 2013
Motoring along with the bacterial RecA protein
1Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 433 Babcock Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1544, USA. cox@biochem.wisc.edu
Abstract:
The recombinases of the RecA family are often viewed only as DNA-pairing proteins - they bind to one DNA segment, align it with homologous sequences in another DNA segment, promote an exchange of DNA strands and then dissociate. To a first approximation, this description seems to fit the eukaryotic (Rad51 and Dmc1) and archaeal (RadA) RecA homologues. However, the bacterial RecA protein does much more, coupling ATP hydrolysis with DNA-strand exchange in a manner that greatly expands its repertoire of activities. This article explores the protein activities and experimental results that have identified RecA as a motor protein.
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