title: Low efficiency of homology-facilitated illegitimate recombination during conjugation in Escherichia coli.
abstract: Homology-facilitated illegitimate recombination has been described in three naturally competent bacterial species. It permits integration of small linear DNA molecules into the chromosome by homologous recombination at one end of the linear DNA substrate, and illegitimate recombination at the other end. We report that homology-facilitated illegitimate recombination also occurs in Escherichia coli during conjugation with small non-replicative plasmids, but at a low frequency of 3×10(-10) per recipient cell. The fate of linear DNA in E. coli is either RecBCD-dependent degradation, or circularisation by ligation, and integration into the chromosome by single crossing-over. We also report that the observed single crossing-overs are recA-dependent, but essentially recBCD, and recFOR independent. This suggests that other, still unknown, proteins may act as mediator for the loading of RecA on DNA during single crossing-over recombination in E. coli.
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR 1319, Micalis, Jouy en Josas, France.
authors.forename: Jihane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Amarir-Bouhram
authors.forename: Mélodie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goin
authors.forename: Marie-Agnès
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Petit
mesh_terms: D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D004265:DNA Helicases / Q000378:metabolism; D004270:DNA, Circular / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D043211:Exodeoxyribonuclease V / Q000378:metabolism; D016680:Genome, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D059765:Homologous Recombination / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004270:DNA, Circular; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D043211:Exodeoxyribonuclease V; C071059:Holliday junction DNA helicase, E coli; D004265:DNA Helicases