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Homology-dependent interactions in phage λ site-specific recombination

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Abstract

General recombination shows a dependence on large regions of homology between the two participating segments of DNA. Many site-specific recombination systems also exhibit a dependence on homology, although in these systems the requirement is limited to a short region (less than 10 base pairs (bp))1–9. We have used the in vitro phage λ integration reaction to study the role of homology in this model site-specific recombination system. We find that certain non-homologous pairings which are strongly blocked for complete recombination, nevertheless make one pair of strand-exchanges to generate a joint molecule of the Holliday structure type10. This result rules out recombination models in which the only homology-dependent step is synapsis (the juxtaposing of the two recombination sites). Our results also reveal a functional asymmetry in the recombination sites. We present models for bacteriophage λ integrative recombination which accommodate these findings.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 36, Room 1B-08, Maryland, 20892, USA

    Paul A. Kitts & Howard A. Nash

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  1. Paul A. Kitts
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  2. Howard A. Nash
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Kitts, P., Nash, H. Homology-dependent interactions in phage λ site-specific recombination. Nature 329, 346–348 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/329346a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/329346a0

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