CLONING, SEQUENCING AND COMPLEMENTATION ANALYSIS OF THE RECA GENE FROM PREVOTELLA-RUMINICOLA

Degenerate PCR primers based on conserved RecA protein regions were us ed to amplify a portion of recE from Prevotella ruminicola strain 23, which was used as a probe to isolate the full-length recA gene from th e P. ruminicola genomic library. The P. ruminicola recA gene encoded a protein of 340 amino acids with a molecular mass of 36.81 kDa. P. rum inicola RecA was highly similar to other RecA proteins and most closel y resembled that of Bacteroides fragilis (75% identity). It alleviated the methyl methanesulfonate and mitomycin C sensitivities of Escheric hia coil recA mutants, but did not restore the resistance to UV-light irradiation. Mitomycin C treatment of otherwise isogenic E. coli strai ns showed a higher level of prophage induction in a recA harboring lys ogen.