title: Mating type-like conversion promoted by the 2 micrograms circle site-specific recombinase: implications for the double-strand-gap repair model.
abstract: Double-strand breaks in DNA are known to promote recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast mating type switching, which is a highly efficient gene conversion event, is apparently initiated by a site-specific double-strand break. The 2 micrograms circle site-specific recombinase, FLP, has been shown to make double-strand breaks in its substrate DNA. By using a hybrid 2 micrograms circle::Tn5 plasmid, a portion of which resembles, in its DNA organization, the active (MAT) and the silent (HML) yeast mating type loci, it is shown that FLP mediates a conversion event analogous to mating type switching. Whereas the FLP site-specific recombination is not dependent on the RAD52 gene product, the FLP-induced conversion is abolished in a rad52 background. The FLP-promoted conversion in vivo can be faithfully reproduced by making a double-stranded gap in vitro in the vicinity of the FLP site and allowing the gap to be repaired in vivo.
mesh_terms: D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004260:DNA Repair; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D049770:Genes, Mating Type, Fungal; D010957:Plasmids; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases; C045119:FLP recombinase; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes