A mechanism for initiation of genetic recombination.

Molecular mechanism for genetic recombination.

Symmetry considerations of proteinnucleic acid interaction suggest the existence of an alternate branched configuration for DNA induced by binding specific structural proteins to symmetrically arranged polynucleotide base sequences. The concept that such sequences exist at the ends of genes or operons leads to a molecular model for genetic recombination in eukaryotic cells.

Mechanism and regulation of meiotic recombination initiation.

Meiotic recombination involves the formation and repair of programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) catalyzed by the conserved Spo11 protein. This review summarizes recent studies pertaining to the formation of meiotic DSBs, including the mechanism of DNA cleavage by Spo11, proteins required for break formation, and mechanisms that control the location, timing, and number of DSBs. Where appro...

Initiation of genetic recombination and recombination-dependent replication.

Recombination initiates at double-stranded DNA breaks and at single-stranded DNA gaps. These DNA strand discontinuities can arise from DNA-damaging agents and from normal DNA replication when the DNA polymerase encounters an imperfection in the DNA template or another protein. The machinery of homologous recombination acts at these breaks and gaps to promote the events that result in gene recom...

Uptake of homologous single-stranded fragments by superhelical DNA: a possible mechanism for initiation of genetic recombination.

Superhelical [3-H]DNA (replicative form I, RFI) of bacteriophage phiX174 slowly but spontaneously took up 32-P-labeled homologous single-stranded fragments at 4 degrees. Uptake was accelerated by heating to 75 degrees. RFI did not take up single-stranded fragments derived from DNA of Escherichia coli or from separated strands of phage lambda. Uptake was inhibited by low concentrations of ethidi...

The Mechanism of Genetic Recombination in Phage.