REPLICATION FACTOR-A IS REQUIRED IN-VIVO FOR DNA-REPLICATION, REPAIR,AND RECOMBINATION

Replication factor A (RF-A) is a heterotrimeric single-stranded-DNA-bi nding protein which is conserved in all eukaryotes, Since the availabi lity of conditional mutants is an essential step to define functions a nd interactions of RF-A in vivo, we have produced and characterized mu tations in the RFA1 gene, encoding the p70 subunit of the complex in S accharomyces cerevisiae. This analysis provides the first in vivo evid ence that RF-A function is critical not only for DNA replication but a lso for efficient DNA repair and recombination. Moreover, genetic evid ence indicate that p70 interacts both with the DNA polymerase alpha-pr imase complex and with DNA polymerase delta.