Lecture 12 Flashcards
What does survival of a species depend on?
genetic diversity such that at least some population of the species can respond to unforeseen environmental pressures
Diversity is maintained by what 2 things?
maintained by both mutation, which alters a single gene, and by recombination, which redistributes the contents of the genome among various individuals during reproduction
What is recombination
any process by which DNA strands are broken and recombined to produce new combinations of alleles
What is recombination is important for?
an important mechanism for repair of double strand breaks and stalled replication forks, for generating a diverse immune repertoire, and for integration of viral genomes into host cell genomes
What does recombination involve
involves strand breakage and rejoining of DNA (crossing-over), usually for homologous duplexes (highly similar nucleotide sequences, homologous recombination).
What happens in homologous recombination
During meiosis, homologous chromosome pairs are transiently held together by recombination. The result is an exchange of genetic material between the pairs of sister chromatids. Recombination facilitates chromosomal segregation during cell division (because they help hold homologous chromosome pairs together) and increases the genetic diversity in the gametes.
4 examples of recombination?
- Repair of double strand DNA breaks
- Integration of viral genomes into host cell chromosomes (site-specific recombination)
- Repair of the replication forks stalled at the site of DNA damage
- Generating molecular diversity in antibodies
Describe the Holliday model of homologous recombination (a-g)
Proposed by Robin Holliday (1964)
homologous DNA strands align (gene A and a are homologous (2 alleles), genes B and b are homologous (+/- indicates antiparallel strand – 5’, 3’ ends)
strands of 2 DNA sequences are nicked by an endonuclease (c, d) nicked strands cross over to pair with complementary
strands on homologous duplex - “strand invasion”
nicks are sealed (ligated) - the crossover point is a 4-stranded structure called a Holliday junction
the Holliday junction can move in either direction of the duplex by unwinding of the original strand pair and rewinding of the new one - branch migration – can migrate in either direction – this results in a segment on one strand on each of the duplexes being swapped, but the ends (e.g., of the chromosome) remain intact – the Holliday junction connecting the two duplexes must be “resolved” – cleaved by a special endonuclease (a resolvase)
Holliday junction drawn differently to show how isomerization can occur
How does the Holliday junction resolve?
Resolves by strand breakage and rejoining
What product occurs during a horizontal cut?
horizontal cut: if the two strands that crossed over in step (b) break and rejoin the products will be non-
recombinant duplexes, each containing a heteroduplex region
(i.e., have the same AB or ab gene but
a segment of one strand is different from the original strand)
What product occurs during vertical cut?
if the strands that break are not those that originally invaded, the product will be two recombinant chromosomes (strands will have swapped homologous genes: Ab and aB ends), both having a recombinant heteroduplex region (i.e., a cross-over)
(l) cut strands are ligated by ligase
What forms when a template strand pairs with 2 different complementary DNA single strands (ssDNA)
A branch
How does the branch move
“Migrates” when base pairing to one strand (blue) is broken and replaced by base pairing to the other (red)
What does the RecA protein promotes
all the central steps in the homologous recombination process:
- pairing of two
- homologous DNAs
- strand invasion
- formation of Holliday intermediates
- branch migration
How does RecA mediates strand
exchange between single- stranded DNA (ssDNA) and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA)
- RecA protein polymerizes on ssDNA to form a nucleoprotein filament (1 RecA monomer for every 3 nucleotides)
- the RecA-coated ssDNA then invades the homologous duplex
What happens when the RecA/ssDNA nucleoprotein filament contacts a duplex DNA with a strand complementary (homology) to the bound ssDNA
RecA partially unwinds the duplex and, in an ATP-driven reaction, exchanges the ssDNA with the corresponding strand on the dsDNA
What happens as the RecA filament rotates about its axis
the duplex DNA is spooled in
two such strand exchange processes occur simultaneously in a Holliday junction, both mediated by ____
RecA in E. coli
eukaryotes contain proteins like ___ that are homologous to E. coli RecA and likely function in a similar manner
Rad51
Ds breaks occur from what?
- ionizing radiation (X-rays, gamma-rays, UV light), oxidative damage and other environmental factors
- a natural consequence of DNA replication at the site of a “lesion” (as in a DNA mismatch or damaged base that was not repaired by DNA repair mechanisms) – will result in collapse of the replication fork
Are ds breaks lethal or not?
are lethal to cells and must be repaired
Ds breaks are initiation sites for what? Thus results in?
initiation sites for homologous recombination – can result in diversity/adaptation, especially in bacteria, when recombination occurs with homologous segments of DNA taken up from other bacteria
ds breaks produce “blunt ends” – ____ processes these ends to produce ssDNA with a ___
- the RecBCD protein complex
- 3’-OH
___ is both a helicase and an exonuclease
RecBCD is both a helicase and an exonuclease
RecBCD binds what kind of DNA and where?
RecBCD binds linear DNA at a free (broken) end and moves inward along the duplex, unwinding the duplex with its helicase activity, and degrading both strands