Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Double holliday structure: A possible in vivo intermediate form of general recombination in Escherichia coli

  • Published:
Molecular and General Genetics MGG Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

From Escherichia coli cells we purified ‘8’-shaped dimeric molecules in which two circular DNA molecules of bacteriophage lambda were joined at a homologous site. Some of them had a complex junction which we interpreted as being two closely spaced Holliday structures because of (i) superhelicity of the molecule, (ii) the sedimentation rate of the molecule in sucrose gradients, and (iii) the appearance in the electron microscope. Other ‘figure-eights's’ had two separate homologous junctions, presumably two Holliday bridges. A possible role for these ‘double Holliday structures’ in UV-stimulated recA-dependent recombination in vivo is discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Benbow, RM, Zuccarelli AJ, Sinsheimer RL (1975) Recombinant DNA molecules of bacteriophage ϕX174. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 72:235–239

    Google Scholar 

  • Boon T, Zinder ND (1971) Genotypes produced by individual recombination events involving bacteriophage fl. J Mol Biol 58:133–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Broker T, Lehman R (1971) Branched DNA molecules: Intermediates in T4 recombination. J Mol Biol 60:131–149

    Google Scholar 

  • Champoux J (1977) Renaturation of complementary single-stranded DNA circles: Complete rewinding facilitated by the DNA untwisting enzyme. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 74:5328–5332

    Google Scholar 

  • Cross RA, Lieb M (1967) Heat inducible λ prophage. V. Induction of prophages with mutations in genes O, P, and R. Genetics 57:549–560

    Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, RP, DasGupta C, Shibata T, Radding CM (1980) Homologous pairing in genetic recombination: recA protein makes joint molecules of gapped circular DNA and closed circular DNA. Cell 20:223–235

    Google Scholar 

  • DasGupta C, Wu AM, Kahn R, Cunningham RP, Radding CM (1981) Concerted strand exchange and formation of Holliday structures by E. coli recA protein. Cell 25:507–516

    Google Scholar 

  • Holliday R (1964) A mechanism for gene conversion in fungi. Genet Res 5:282–304

    Google Scholar 

  • Ikeda H, Kobayashi I (1977) Involvement of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase in a recA − independent pathway of genetic recombination in Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 74:3932–3936

    Google Scholar 

  • Ikeda H, Kobayashi I (1979) recA-mediated recombination of bacteriophage λ: Structure of recombinant and intermediate DNA molecules and their packaging in vitro. Cold Spring Harbor Symp Quant Biol 43:1009–1021

    Google Scholar 

  • Ikeda H, Matsumoto T (1979) Transcription promotes recA-independent recombination mediated by DNA-dependent RNA polymerase in Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 76:4571–4575

    Google Scholar 

  • Kobayashi I, Ikeda H (1977) Formation of recombinant DNA of bacteriophage lambda by recA function of Escherichia coli without duplication, transcription, translation, and maturation. Mol Gen Genet 153:237–245

    Google Scholar 

  • Kobayashi I, Ikeda H (1978) On the role of recA gene product in genetic recombination: An analysis by in vitro packaging of recombinant DNA molecules formed in the absence of protein synthesis. Mol Gen Genet 166:25–29

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray NE, Murray K (1974) Manipulation of restriction targets in phage λ to form receptor chromosomes for DNA fragments. Nature 251:476–481

    Google Scholar 

  • Potter H, Dressler D (1976) On the mechanism of genetic recombination: Electron microscopic observation of recombination intermediates. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 73:3000–3004

    Google Scholar 

  • Potter H, Dressler D (1978) In vitro system from Escherichia coli that catalyzes generalized genetic recombination. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 75:3698–3702

    Google Scholar 

  • Sobell HM (1972) A mechanism to activate branch migration between homologous DNA molecules in genetic recombination. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 69:2483–2487

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson BJ, Escarmis C, Parker B, Slater WC, Doniger J, Tessman I, Warner RC (1975) Figure-8 configuration of dimers of S13 and ϕX174 replicative form DNA. J Mol Biol 91:409–420

    Google Scholar 

  • Valenzuela MS, Inman RB (1975) Visualization of a novel junction in bacteriophage λ DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 72:3024–3028

    Google Scholar 

  • West SC, Cassuto E, Howard-Flanders P (1981) Mechanism of E. coli recA protein directed strand exchanges in post-replication repair of DNA. Nature 294:659–662

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitehouse HLK (1963) A theory of crossing-over by means of hybrid deoxyribonucleic acid. Nature 199:1034–1040

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Ichizo Kobayashi

    Present address: Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, 97403, Eugene, Oregon, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, P.O. Takanawa, 108, Tokyo, Japan

    Ichizo Kobayashi & Hideo Ikeda

Authors
  1. Ichizo Kobayashi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hideo Ikeda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Communicated by W. Arber

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kobayashi, I., Ikeda, H. Double holliday structure: A possible in vivo intermediate form of general recombination in Escherichia coli . Mol Gen Genet 191, 213–220 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00334816

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00334816

Keywords

Search

Navigation