Mechanistic and structural complexity in the site-specific recombination pathways of Int and FLP

This review focuses on two of the approximately 30 members of the diverse Int family of site-specific recombinases. The lambda recombination system represents those reactions involving accessory proteins and a complex higher-order structure. The FLP system represents the most streamlined reactions and has been the subject of detailed and informative studies on the mechanisms of DNA cleavage and ligation.