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Evidence that the normal route of replication-allowed Red-mediated recombination involves double-chain ends
D S Thaler1, M M Stahl, F W Stahl
1Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene 97403.
The EMBO Journal
|October 1, 1987
Summary
Bacteriophage lambda
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Virology
Background:
- The Red pathway of bacteriophage lambda mediates recombination, primarily at double-chain breaks.
- This process resembles the double-chain break repair pathway in yeast.
- Recombination during lambda's replicative growth is typically chromosome-wide and hypothesized to initiate via double-chain ends.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the Mu gam protein inhibits Red-mediated recombination in vivo.
- To determine if Red recombination initiation relies on double-chain ends.
Main Methods:
- In vivo expression of Mu gam protein in bacteriophage lambda.
- Assessing the inhibitory effect of Mu gam on Red recombination under conditions of blocked and allowed replication.
- Testing Mu gam's effect on Int-mediated recombination as a control.
Main Results:
- Mu gam expression inhibited Red recombination, irrespective of replication status.
- Mu gam did not inhibit Int-mediated recombination, which is known not to involve double-chain breaks.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the hypothesis that Red recombination is initiated by double-chain ends.
- In vivo expression of Mu gam can serve as a tool to identify recombination processes that utilize double-chain ends.