dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaPhysics of RecA-mediated homologous recognition
| Authors | Kevin Klapstein, Tom Chou, Robijn Bruinsma |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | q-bio/0402008 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/q-bio/0402008 |
| DOI | 10.1529/biophysj.104.039578 |
Abstract
Most proteins involved in processing DNA accomplish their activities as a monomer or as a component of a multimer containing a relatively small number of other elements. They generally act locally, binding to one or a few small regions of the DNA substrate. Striking exceptions are the \textit{E. coli} protein RecA and its homologues in other species, whose activities are associated with homologous DNA recombination. The active form of RecA in DNA recombination is a stiff nucleoprotein filament formed by RecA and DNA, within which the DNA is extended by 50%. Invoking physical and geometrical ideas, we show that the filamentary organization greatly enhances the rate of homologous recognition while preventing the formation of topological traps originating from multi-site recognition.
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"abstract": "Most proteins involved in processing DNA accomplish their activities as a\nmonomer or as a component of a multimer containing a relatively small number of\nother elements. They generally act locally, binding to one or a few small\nregions of the DNA substrate. Striking exceptions are the \\textit{E. coli}\nprotein RecA and its homologues in other species, whose activities are\nassociated with homologous DNA recombination. The active form of RecA in DNA\nrecombination is a stiff nucleoprotein filament formed by RecA and DNA, within\nwhich the DNA is extended by 50%. Invoking physical and geometrical ideas, we\nshow that the filamentary organization greatly enhances the rate of homologous\nrecognition while preventing the formation of topological traps originating\nfrom multi-site recognition.",
"arxiv_id": "q-bio/0402008",
"authors": [
"Kevin Klapstein",
"Tom Chou",
"Robijn Bruinsma"
],
"categories": [
"q-bio.BM",
"cond-mat.stat-mech",
"q-bio.GN"
],
"doi": "10.1529/biophysj.104.039578",
"title": "Physics of RecA-mediated homologous recognition",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/q-bio/0402008"
},
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