The Escherichia coli DinD protein modulates RecA activity by inhibiting postsynaptic RecA filaments

Escherichia coli dinD is an SOS gene up-regulated in response to DNA damage. We find that the purified DinD protein is a novel inhibitor of RecA-mediated DNA strand exchange activities. Most modulators of RecA protein activity act by controlling the amount of RecA protein bound to single-stranded DNA by affecting either the loading of RecA protein onto DNA or the disassembly of RecA nucleoprotein filaments bound to single-stranded DNA. The DinD protein, however, acts postsynaptically to inhibit RecA during an on-going DNA strand exchange, likely through the disassembly of RecA filaments. DinD protein does not affect RecA single-stranded DNA filaments but efficiently disassembles RecA when bound to two or more DNA strands, effectively halting RecA-mediated branch migration. By utilizing a nonspecific duplex DNA-binding protein, YebG, we show that the DinD effect is not simply due to duplex DNA sequestration. We present a model suggesting that the negative effects of DinD protein are targeted to a specific conformational state of the RecA protein and discuss the potential role of DinD protein in the regulation of recombinational DNA repair.