SMC protein RecN drives RecA filament translocation for in vivo homology search.

ABSTRACT: While the molecular repertoire of the homologous recombination pathways is well studied, the search mechanism that enables recombination between distant homologous regions is poorly understood. Earlier work suggests that the recombinase RecA, an essential component for homology search, forms an elongated filament, nucleating at the break site. How this RecA structure carries out long-distance search remains unclear. Here, we follow the dynamics of RecA after induction of a single double-strand break on the Caulobacter chromosome. We find that the RecA-nucleoprotein filament, once formed, rapidly translocates in a directional manner in the cell, undergoing several pole-to-pole traversals, until homology search is complete. Concomitant with translocation, we observe dynamic variation

SUBMITTER: Chimthanawala A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9674259 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature