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Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology pp 42–65Cite as

DNA Branch Migration

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Part of the book series: Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology ((NUCLEIC,volume 9))

Abstract

DNA branch migration involves the exchange of one DNA strand for another by the stepwise breakage and reformation of hydrogen bonds in DNA duplexes. In four-strand branch migration the cross-over point between two duplexes is known as the Holliday junction. If the duplex sequences flanking the Holliday junction are identical, the junction can move in either direction by the exchange of hydrogen bonds between two DNA strands of the same polarity (Fig. 1, top). Branch migration involving three-strand reactions, sometimes referred to as single-strand branch migration, can also occur (Fig. 1, bottom). In both three- and four-strand branch migration, there is no net change in the number of hydrogen bonds. It is, therefore, an isoenergetic process and can occur spontaneously without the need for any exogenous energy source.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Genetics and Biochemistry Branch, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    P. Hsieh

  2. Nuclear Medicine Department, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA

    I. G. Panyutin

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  1. P. Hsieh
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  2. I. G. Panyutin
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Experimentelle Medizin, Hermann-Rein-Straße 3, 37075, Göttingen, Germany

    Fritz Eckstein

  2. Biochemistry Department, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN, UK

    David M. J. Lilley

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Hsieh, P., Panyutin, I.G. (1995). DNA Branch Migration. In: Eckstein, F., Lilley, D.M.J. (eds) Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology. Nucleic Acids and Molecular Biology, vol 9. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79488-9_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-79488-9_3

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