RecA - WikiHQ

RecA is a 38 kilodalton protein essential for the repair and maintenance of DNA in bacteria. It functions as a recombinase and strand-exchange protein, catalyzing the central steps of homologous recombination by forming nucleoprotein filaments on single-stranded DNA. RecA serves as an archetype for this class of homologous DNA repair proteins. The homologous protein is called RAD51 in eukaryotes and RadA in archaea.

RecA has multiple activities, all related to DNA repair. As a recombinase, it mediates ATP-dependent strand exchange between homologous DNA molecules, driving the key pairing and heteroduplex formation steps of recombinational repair. in the autocatalytic cleavage of the LexA repressor and the λ repressor.

Structure

The E. coli RecA monomer (352 amino acids, ~37.8 kDa) is organized into three structural domains:

small N-terminal domain (NTD, residues ~1–33) The NTD mediates monomer–monomer interactions during filament polymerization and additionally facilitates presynaptic filament formation and dsDNA capture, functions that are evolutionarily conserved across the RecA/RAD51/RadA family. The CTD contributes to secondary DNA binding (the interaction with the incoming duplex during homology search) and contains a second nucleotide-binding site implicated in allosteric regulation of filament activity.

RecA monomers polymerize cooperatively onto ssDNA in the presence of ATP to form a right-handed helical nucleoprotein filament with approximately 6 monomers per turn and a helical pitch of ~95 Å, in which the DNA is stretched ~1.5-fold relative to B-form and held in a conformation competent for homology search and strand exchange. This is also called a presynaptic filament. The RecA filament searches the dsDNA in 8 base pair segments. When the threshold of 8-bases of homology is exceeded, the filament complex is stabilized. In 2021, Witkor et al., demonstrated that the RecA filament uses a "reduced dimensionality" search mechanism.

Once the filament has located and bound to a complementary sequence of dsDNA, strand exchange occurs.

Homologous recombination events mediated by RecA can occur in Escherichia coli during the period after DNA replication when sister loci remain close. RecA can also mediate homology pairing, homologous recombination, and DNA break repair between distant sister loci that had segregated to opposite halves of the E. coli cell.

Natural transformation

Natural bacterial transformation involves the transfer of DNA from one bacterium to another (ordinarily of the same species) and the integration of the donor DNA into the recipient chromosome by homologous recombination, a process mediated by the RecA protein. In some bacteria, the recA gene is induced in response to the bacterium becoming competent, the physiological state required for transformation.

Clinical significance

RecA has been proposed as a potential drug target for bacterial infections. Small molecules that interfere with RecA function have been identified. Since many antibiotics lead to DNA damage, and all bacteria rely on RecA to fix this damage, inhibitors of RecA could be used to enhance the toxicity of antibiotics. Inhibitors of RecA may also delay or prevent the appearance of bacterial drug resistance. The gene name "rec", first published in 1969, was chosen to indicate its involvement in recombination. In 1976, the recA gene was cloned for the first time by Kevin McEntee. Shortly after, the protein was purified for the first time by several groups.

Later research identified related proteins, including RecBCD and RecF.

References