Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Preparation of the Mgm101 Recombination Protein by MBP-based Tagging Strategy
Published on: June 25, 2013
A new model for SOS-induced mutagenesis: how RecA protein activates DNA polymerase V
Meghna Patel1, Qingfei Jiang, Roger Woodgate
1Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Abstract:
In Escherichia coli, cell survival and genomic stability after UV radiation depends on repair mechanisms induced as part of the SOS response to DNA damage. The early phase of the SOS response is mostly dominated by accurate DNA repair, while the later phase is characterized with elevated mutation levels caused by error-prone DNA replication. SOS mutagenesis is largely the result of the action of DNA polymerase V (pol V), which has the ability to insert nucleotides opposite various DNA lesions in a process termed translesion DNA synthesis (TLS). Pol V is a low-fidelity polymerase that is composed of UmuD'(2)C and is encoded by the umuDC operon. Pol V is strictly regulated in the cell so as to avoid genomic mutation overload. RecA nucleoprotein filaments (RecA*), formed by RecA binding to single-stranded DNA with ATP, are essential for pol V-catalyzed TLS both in vivo and in vitro. This review focuses on recent studies addressing the protein composition of active DNA polymerase V, and the role of RecA protein in activating this enzyme. Based on unforeseen properties of RecA*, we describe a new model for pol V-catalyzed SOS-induced mutagenesis.
More Related Videos
07:55Detection of Homologous Recombination Intermediates via Proximity Ligation and Quantitative PCR in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Published on: September 11, 2022
09:40Quantitation and Analysis of the Formation of HO-Endonuclease Stimulated Chromosomal Translocations by Single-Strand Annealing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Published on: September 23, 2011
Related Concept Videos
Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
Translesion DNA Polymerases
TLS polymerases are found in all three domains of life - archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotes. Of the different classes of TLS polymerases, members of the Y family are fitted with specialized structures that...
Homologous Recombination
Homologous Recombination
Spontaneous and Induced Mutations
In vitro Mutagenesis