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Updated: May 7, 2026

Preparation of the Mgm101 Recombination Protein by MBP-based Tagging Strategy
Published on: June 25, 2013
Synapsis of attachment sites during lambda integrative recombination involves capture of a naked DNA by a protein-DNA
E Richet1, P Abcarian, H A Nash
1Laboratory of Molecular Biology National Institute of Mental Health Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
Abstract:
During lambda integration, Int recombinase must specifically bind to and cut attachment sites on both the viral and host chromosomes. We show here by foot-printing and by a novel cleavage assay that the bacterial attachment site, attB, cannot stably bind Int in competition with other DNAs. Instead, during recombination reactions, attB obtains its Int by collision with the intasome, a nucleoprotein assembly that forms on the viral attachment site, attP. Our cleavage assay also shows that the capture of attB by the attP intasome does not depend on DNA homology between the two sites; synapsis is governed solely by protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions.
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