title: Functions of the Snf2/Swi2 family Rad54 motor protein in homologous recombination.
abstract: Homologous recombination is a central pathway to maintain genomic stability and is involved in the repair of DNA damage and replication fork support, as well as accurate chromosome segregation during meiosis. Rad54 is a dsDNA-dependent ATPase of the Snf2/Swi2 family of SF2 helicases, although Rad54 lacks classical helicase activity and cannot carry out the strand displacement reactions typical for DNA helicases. Rad54 is a potent and processive motor protein that translocates on dsDNA, potentially executing several functions in recombinational DNA repair. Rad54 acts in concert with Rad51, the central protein of recombination that performs the key reactions of homology search and DNA strand invasion. Here, we will review the role of the Rad54 protein in homologous recombination with an emphasis on mechanistic studies with the yeast and human enzymes. We will discuss how these results relate to in vivo functions of Rad54 during homologous recombination in somatic cells and during meiosis. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Snf2/Swi2 ATPase structure and function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616-8665, USA.
authors.forename: Shannon J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Ceballos
authors.forename: Wolf-Dietrich
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Heyer
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D042002:Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; D004249:DNA Damage; D004265:DNA Helicases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004260:DNA Repair; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004720:Endonucleases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051135:Rad51 Recombinase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D051135:Rad51 Recombinase; D004720:Endonucleases; C498772:MUS81 protein, human; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; C075468:RAD54 protein, S cerevisiae; D004265:DNA Helicases; C103532:RAD54L protein, human; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes