title: Resolution of Multimeric Forms of Circular Plasmids and Chromosomes.
abstract: One of the disadvantages of circular plasmids and chromosomes is their high sensitivity to rearrangements caused by homologous recombination. Odd numbers of crossing-over occurring during or after replication of a circular replicon result in the formation of a dimeric molecule in which the two copies of the replicon are fused. If they are not converted back to monomers, the dimers of replicons may fail to correctly segregate at the time of cell division. Resolution of multimeric forms of circular plasmids and chromosomes is mediated by site-specific recombination, and the enzymes that catalyze this type of reaction fall into two families of proteins: the serine and tyrosine recombinase families. Here we give an overview of the variety of site-specific resolution systems found on circular plasmids and chromosomes.
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, UPS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Estelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Crozat
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, UPS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fournes
authors.affiliation: CNRS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cornet
authors.affiliation: Institut des Sciences de la Vie, UCLouvain, 4/5 L7.07.06 Place Croix du Sud, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hallet
authors.affiliation: Université de Toulouse, UPS, Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaires, F-31062 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rousseau
mesh_terms: D002875:Chromosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D003434:Crossing Over, Genetic; D004270:DNA, Circular / Q000378:metabolism*; D059765:Homologous Recombination; D010957:Plasmids / Q000378:metabolism*; D045522:Recombinases / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004270:DNA, Circular; D045522:Recombinases