Mc. Whitby et Rg. Lloyd, BRANCH MIGRATION OF 3-STRAND RECOMBINATION INTERMEDIATES BY RECG, A POSSIBLE PATHWAY FOR SECURING EXCHANGES INITIATED BY 3'-TAILED DUPLEX DNA, EMBO journal, 14(14), 1995, pp. 3302-3310
RecG protein is required for normal levels of recombination and DNA re
pair in Escherichia coli, This 76 kDa polypeptide is a junction-specif
ic DNA helicase that acts post-synaptically to drive branch migration
of Holliday junction intermediates made by RecA during the strand exch
ange stage of recombination, To gain further insight into the role of
RecG, we studied its activity on three-strand intermediates formed by
RecA between circular single-stranded and linear duplex DNAs, Once Rec
A is removed, RecG drives branch migration of these intermediates by a
junction-targeted activity that depends on hydrolysis of ATP, RuvAB h
as a similar activity. However, when RecG is added to a RecA strand ex
change reaction it severely reduces the accumulation of joint molecule
intermediates by driving branch migration of junctions in the reverse
direction to that catalysed by RecA strand exchange, In comparison, R
uvAB has little effect on the reaction. We discuss how reverse branch
migration by RecG, which acts counter to the 5'-->3' polarity of RecA
binding and strand exchange, could serve to promote or abort the early
stages of recombination, depending on the orientation of the single D
NA strand initiating the exchange relative to the adjacent duplex regi
on.