Formation of nascent heteroduplex structures by RecA protein and DNA

E. coli RecA protein promotes homologous pairing in two distinguishable phases: synapsis and strand exchange. With circular single strands (plus strand only) and linear duplex DNA, polarized or unidirectional strand exchange appeared to cause heteroduplex joints to form and grow from a unique end of the duplex DNA. However, a variety of other pairs of substrates appeared to form joint molecules without regard to the polarity of the strands involved. This paradox has been resolved by observations that show that synapsis is fast, nonpolar and sensitive to inhibition by ADP, whereas strand exchange is slow, directional and relatively insensitive to inhibition by ADP. Thus a heteroduplex joint initiated at one end of the duplex DNA grows by continued strand exchange, whereas a joint initiated at the other end dissociates and is unable to start again because accumulating ADP inhibits synapsis. RecA protein appears to form a nascent protein-DNA structure, the RecA synaptic structure, in which at least 100-300 bp in the duplex molecule are held in an unwound configuration and in which the incoming strand is aligned with its complement.