Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026

11:40
Preparation of the Mgm101 Recombination Protein by MBP-based Tagging Strategy
Published on: June 25, 2013
Large serine recombinase domain structure and attachment site binding.
Gregory D Van Duyne1, Karen Rutherford
1Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , USA.
Critical Reviews in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
|August 29, 2013
Summary
Large serine recombinases (LSRs) are key to DNA movement in bacteria. Recent structural studies reveal how these enzymes bind DNA, improving genetic engineering tools.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Structural Biology
Background:
- Large serine recombinases (LSRs) mediate site-specific DNA recombination.
- Bacteriophage integrases, a type of LSR, facilitate DNA integration into bacterial chromosomes.
- LSR reactions are highly directional and site-specific, with limited understanding of their structural mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent biochemical and genetic studies of LSRs.
- To integrate findings with newly described structural models of LSR-DNA complexes.
- To elucidate LSR domain structure and DNA-binding modes at attP and attB sites.
Main Methods:
- Biochemical studies
- Molecular genetic studies
- Analysis of structural models of LSR-DNA complexes
Main Results:
- Detailed understanding of LSR domain structure.
- Characterization of differential binding modes to attP and attB attachment sites.
- Insights into the mechanisms underlying LSR site-selectivity and directionality.
Conclusions:
- Structural insights are crucial for understanding LSR function.
- LSRs are valuable tools for genetic engineering and gene therapy.
- Further research on LSR structure and DNA-binding properties can enhance their applications.
Related Concept Videos
Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation
Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
Conserved Binding Sites
Many proteins’ biological role depends on their interactions with their ligands, small molecules that bind to specific locations on the protein known as ligand-binding sites. Ligand-binding sites are often conserved among homologous proteins as these sites are critical for protein function.
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally analyses the...
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally analyses the...
Conserved Binding Sites
Many proteins’ biological role depends on their interactions with their ligands, small molecules that bind to specific locations on the protein known as ligand-binding sites. Ligand-binding sites are often conserved among homologous proteins as these sites are critical for protein function.
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally analyses the...
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally analyses the...
The Replisome
DNA replication is carried out by a large complex of proteins that act in a coordinated matter to achieve high-fidelity DNA replication. Together this complex is known as the DNA replication machinery or the replisome.
The synthesis of the leading and lagging strands is a highly coordinated process. To explain this, the “Trombone model” was proposed by Bruce Alberts in 1980. The DNA loop formation starts when a primer is synthesized on the parent lagging strand. The loop grows with the...
The synthesis of the leading and lagging strands is a highly coordinated process. To explain this, the “Trombone model” was proposed by Bruce Alberts in 1980. The DNA loop formation starts when a primer is synthesized on the parent lagging strand. The loop grows with the...
The Replisome
DNA replication is carried out by a large complex of proteins that act in a coordinated matter to achieve high-fidelity DNA replication. Together this complex is known as the DNA replication machinery or the replisome.
The synthesis of the leading and lagging strands is a highly coordinated process. To explain this, the “Trombone model” was proposed by Bruce Alberts in 1980. The DNA loop formation starts when a primer is synthesized on the parent lagging strand. The loop grows with the...
The synthesis of the leading and lagging strands is a highly coordinated process. To explain this, the “Trombone model” was proposed by Bruce Alberts in 1980. The DNA loop formation starts when a primer is synthesized on the parent lagging strand. The loop grows with the...
Single-Strand DNA Binding Proteins
For successful DNA replication, the unwinding of double-stranded DNA must be accompanied by stabilization and protection of the separated single strands of the DNA. This crucial task is performed by single-strand DNA-binding (SSB) proteins. They bind to the DNA in a sequence-independent manner, which means that the nitrogenous bases of the DNA need not be present in a specific order for binding of SSB proteins to it. The binding of SSB proteins straightens single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and makes...

