title: Molecular characterization of the resolvase gene, res, carried by a multicopy plasmid from Clostridium perfringens: common evolutionary origin for prokaryotic site-specific recombinases.
abstract: Clostridium perfringens strain CPN50 harbours a 10.2 kb plasmid known as pIP404 which, in addition to a set of UV-inducible genes involved in bacteriocin production, carries res, a gene probably encoding a site-specific recombinase. The RES protein is highly homologous to the resolvases of transposons from both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as well as enzymes involved in site-specific DNA inversion. A likely role for the RES protein would be to stabilize pIP404 by reducing the number of plasmid multimers resulting from homologous recombination. A putative resolution site for RES action was found overlapping the res promoter. Phylogenetic analysis of the primary structures of ten site-specific recombinases suggested a common descent and showed the RES protein to be closest to the resolvase encoded by Tn917 from Streptococcus faecalis.
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D005075:Biological Evolution; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000235:genetics*; D005796:Genes; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000235:genetics*; D010957:Plasmids; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D019895:Transposases
chemical_list: D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases; D019895:Transposases