RAD51AP1 is a versatile RAD51 modulator.

ABSTRACT: RAD51AP1 is an emergent key factor in homologous recombination (HR), the major pathway for accurate repair of DNA double-strand breaks, and in alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). Depletion of RAD51AP1 diminishes HR and overexpression is common in cancer, where it is associated with malignancy. Here, we show that RAD51AP1 has a hitherto unknown role in modulating the RAD51 recombinase, the central player in HR. Through a combination of biochemistry and structural biology, we reveal that RAD51AP1 possesses at least three RAD51-binding sites that facilitate its binding across two adjacent RAD51 molecules. We uncover a previously unidentified RAD51-binding mode that stabilizes the RAD51 N-terminal domain and protomer interface in the filaments. We uncover a previously undescribed role

SUBMITTER: Kuhlen L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12704761 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature