title: Protein-protein interactions in a higher-order structure direct lambda site-specific recombination.
abstract: The highly directional site-specific recombination of bacteriophage lambda is tightly regulated by the binding of three different proteins to a complex array of sites. The manner in which these reactions are both stimulated and inhibited by co-operative binding of proteins to specific sites on the P arm of attP and AttR has been elucidated by correlation of nuclease protection with recombination studies of both wild-type and mutant DNAs. In addition to co-operative forces, there is a specific competitive interaction that allows the protein-DNA complex to serve as a "biological switch". This switch does not depend upon the simple occlusion of DNA binding sites by neighboring proteins; but, rather, the outcome of this competition is dependent on long-range interactions that vary between the higher-order structures of attP and attR. These higher-order structures are dependent on cooperative interactions involving three proteins binding to five or more sites.
mesh_terms: D000495:Allosteric Site; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010582:Bacteriophage lambda / Q000235:genetics*; D001665:Binding Sites; D004274:DNA, Recombinant / Q000378:metabolism*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D034982:Integration Host Factors; D009154:Mutation; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D004279:DNA, Viral; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D034982:Integration Host Factors; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins