Base triplet stepping by the Rad51/RecA family of recombinases

Ja Yil Lee; Tsuyoshi Terakawa; Zhi Qi; Justin B. Steinfeld; Sy Redding; Young Ho Kwon; William A. Gaines; Weixing Zhao; Patrick Sung; Eric C. Greene

doi:10.1126/science.aab2666

Base triplet stepping by the Rad51/RecA family of recombinases

Ja Yil Lee, Tsuyoshi Terakawa, Zhi Qi, Justin B. Steinfeld, Sy Redding, Young Ho Kwon, William A. Gaines, Weixing Zhao, Patrick Sung, Eric C. Greene

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

115 Scopus citations

Abstract

DNA strand exchange plays a central role in genetic recombination across all kingdoms of life, but the physical basis for these reactions remains poorly defined. Using single-molecule imaging, we found that bacterial RecA and eukaryotic Rad51 and Dmc1 all stabilize strand exchange intermediates in precise three-nucleotide steps. Each step coincides with an energetic signature (0.3 k_BT) that is conserved from bacteria to humans. Triplet recognition is strictly dependent on correct Watson-Crick pairing. Rad51, RecA, and Dmc1 can all step over mismatches, but only Dmc1 can stabilize mismatched triplets. This finding provides insight into why eukaryotes have evolved a meiosis-specific recombinase. We propose that canonical Watson-Crick base triplets serve as the fundamental unit of pairing interactions during DNA recombination.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	977-981
Number of pages	5
Journal	Science
Volume	349
Issue number	6251
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aab2666
State	Published - Aug 28 2015
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General

Access to Document

10.1126/science.aab2666

Cite this

@article{c848a982e3e045b8a9a5f9f52f34b47d,

title = "Base triplet stepping by the Rad51/RecA family of recombinases",

abstract = "DNA strand exchange plays a central role in genetic recombination across all kingdoms of life, but the physical basis for these reactions remains poorly defined. Using single-molecule imaging, we found that bacterial RecA and eukaryotic Rad51 and Dmc1 all stabilize strand exchange intermediates in precise three-nucleotide steps. Each step coincides with an energetic signature (0.3 kBT) that is conserved from bacteria to humans. Triplet recognition is strictly dependent on correct Watson-Crick pairing. Rad51, RecA, and Dmc1 can all step over mismatches, but only Dmc1 can stabilize mismatched triplets. This finding provides insight into why eukaryotes have evolved a meiosis-specific recombinase. We propose that canonical Watson-Crick base triplets serve as the fundamental unit of pairing interactions during DNA recombination.",

author = "Lee, {Ja Yil} and Tsuyoshi Terakawa and Zhi Qi and Steinfeld, {Justin B.} and Sy Redding and Kwon, {Young Ho} and Gaines, {William A.} and Weixing Zhao and Patrick Sung and Greene, {Eric C.}",

year = "2015",

month = aug,

day = "28",

doi = "10.1126/science.aab2666",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "349",

pages = "977--981",

journal = "Science",

issn = "0036-8075",

publisher = "American Association for the Advancement of Science",

number = "6251",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Base triplet stepping by the Rad51/RecA family of recombinases

AU - Lee, Ja Yil

AU - Terakawa, Tsuyoshi

AU - Qi, Zhi

AU - Steinfeld, Justin B.

AU - Redding, Sy

AU - Kwon, Young Ho

AU - Gaines, William A.

AU - Zhao, Weixing

AU - Sung, Patrick

AU - Greene, Eric C.

PY - 2015/8/28

Y1 - 2015/8/28

N2 - DNA strand exchange plays a central role in genetic recombination across all kingdoms of life, but the physical basis for these reactions remains poorly defined. Using single-molecule imaging, we found that bacterial RecA and eukaryotic Rad51 and Dmc1 all stabilize strand exchange intermediates in precise three-nucleotide steps. Each step coincides with an energetic signature (0.3 kBT) that is conserved from bacteria to humans. Triplet recognition is strictly dependent on correct Watson-Crick pairing. Rad51, RecA, and Dmc1 can all step over mismatches, but only Dmc1 can stabilize mismatched triplets. This finding provides insight into why eukaryotes have evolved a meiosis-specific recombinase. We propose that canonical Watson-Crick base triplets serve as the fundamental unit of pairing interactions during DNA recombination.

AB - DNA strand exchange plays a central role in genetic recombination across all kingdoms of life, but the physical basis for these reactions remains poorly defined. Using single-molecule imaging, we found that bacterial RecA and eukaryotic Rad51 and Dmc1 all stabilize strand exchange intermediates in precise three-nucleotide steps. Each step coincides with an energetic signature (0.3 kBT) that is conserved from bacteria to humans. Triplet recognition is strictly dependent on correct Watson-Crick pairing. Rad51, RecA, and Dmc1 can all step over mismatches, but only Dmc1 can stabilize mismatched triplets. This finding provides insight into why eukaryotes have evolved a meiosis-specific recombinase. We propose that canonical Watson-Crick base triplets serve as the fundamental unit of pairing interactions during DNA recombination.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84940553739&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84940553739&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1126/science.aab2666

DO - 10.1126/science.aab2666

M3 - Article

C2 - 26315438

AN - SCOPUS:84940553739

SN - 0036-8075

VL - 349

SP - 977

EP - 981

JO - Science

JF - Science

IS - 6251

ER -

Base triplet stepping by the Rad51/RecA family of recombinases

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this