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PROSITE documentation PDOC00334 [for PROSITE entry PS51736] |
Site-specific recombination plays an important role in DNA rearrangement in prokaryotic organisms. Two types of site-specific recombination are known to occur:
Site-specific recombination is characterized by a strand exchange mechanism that requires no DNA synthesis or high energy cofactor; the phosphodiester bond energy is conserved in a phospho-protein linkage during strand cleavage and re-ligation.
Two unrelated families of recombinases are currently known [1]. The first, called the tyrosine recombinases or lambda integrase family, groups a number of bacterial, phage and yeast plasmid enzymes. The second [2], called the serine recombinases or resolvase/invertase family, groups enzymes which share the following structural characteristics: an N-terminal catalytic and dimerization domain that contains a conserved serine residue involved in the transient covalent attachment to DNA, and a C-terminal helix-turn-helix DNA-binding domain.
The resolvase/invertase family is currently known to include the following proteins:
Generally, proteins from the resolvase family have 180 to 200 amino-acid residues, excepting cisA which is much larger (500 residues).
The N-terminal resolvase/invertase-type recombinase catalytic domain has an αβ fold and consists of a five-stranded mixed β-sheet surrounded by three α helices on one side and one helix on the other (see <PDB:1GDT>) [5].
We developed two signature patterns for the resolvase family. The first is based on a highly conserved region in the N-terminal extremity of these proteins; it contains a serine residue most probably involved in covalent attachment to DNA. The second pattern is based on a conserved region located about 50 residues upstream of the serine active site. We also developed a profile which covers the entire resolvase/invertase-type recombinase catalytic domain.
Last update:October 2014 / Profile added and text revised.
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PROSITE methods (with tools and information) covered by this documentation:
1 | Authors | Argos P. Landy A. Abremski K. Egan J.B. Haggard-Ljungquist E. Hoess R.H. Kahn M.L. Kalionis B. Narayana S.V. Pierson L.S. III |
Title | The integrase family of site-specific recombinases: regional similarities and global diversity. | |
Source | EMBO J. 5:433-440(1986). | |
PubMed ID | 3011407 |
2 | Authors | Garnier T. Saurin W. Cole S.T. |
Title | Molecular characterization of the resolvase gene, res, carried by a multicopy plasmid from Clostridium perfringens: common evolutionary origin for prokaryotic site-specific recombinases. | |
Source | Mol. Microbiol. 1:371-376(1987). | |
PubMed ID | 2896291 |
3 | Authors | Sato T. Samori Y. Kobayashi Y. |
Title | The cisA cistron of Bacillus subtilis sporulation gene spoIVC encodes a protein homologous to a site-specific recombinase. | |
Source | J. Bacteriol. 172:1092-1098(1990). | |
PubMed ID | 2105293 |
4 | Authors | Gigliani F. Sporeno E. Perri S. Battaglia P.A. |
Title | The uvp1 gene of plasmid pR cooperates with mucAB genes in the DNA repair process. | |
Source | Mol. Gen. Genet. 218:18-24(1989). | |
PubMed ID | 2550763 |
5 | Authors | Yang W. Steitz T.A. |
Title | Crystal structure of the site-specific recombinase gamma delta resolvase complexed with a 34 bp cleavage site. | |
Source | Cell 82:193-207(1995). | |
PubMed ID | 7628011 |