Biochemical and cellular characterization of Helicobacter pylori RecA, a protein with high-level constitutive expression.

ABSTRACT: Helicobacter pylori is a bacterial pathogen colonizing half of the world's human population. It has been implicated in a number of gastric diseases, from asymptomatic gastritis to cancer. It is characterized by an amazing genetic variability that results from high mutation rates and efficient DNA homologous recombination and transformation systems. Here, we report the characterization of H. pylori RecA (HpRecA), a protein shown to be involved in DNA repair, transformation, and mouse colonization. The biochemical characterization of the purified recombinase reveals activities similar to those of Escherichia coli RecA (EcRecA). We show that in H. pylori, HpRecA is present in about 80,000 copies per cell during exponential growth and decreases to about 50,000 copies in stationary phase. The a

SUBMITTER: Orillard E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3232870 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature