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Holliday junctions occur as intermediates in homologous recombination and DNA repair. In bacteria, resolution of Holliday junctions is accomplished by the RuvABC system, consisting of a junction-specific helicase complex RuvAB, which promotes branch migration, and a junction-specific endonuclease RuvC, which nicks two strands. The crystal structure of a complex between the RuvA protein of M. leprae and a synthetic four-way junction has now been determined. Rather than binding on the open surface of a RuvA tetramer as previously suggested, the DNA is sandwiched between two RuvA tetramers, which form a closed octameric shell, stabilized by a conserved tetramer-tetramer interface. Interactions between the DNA backbone and helix-hairpin-helix motifs from both tetramers suggest a mechanism for strand separation promoted by RuvA.

Type

Journal article

Journal

Mol Cell

Publication Date

09/1998

Volume

2

Pages

361 - 372

Keywords

Amino Acid Sequence, Bacterial Proteins, Binding Sites, Crystallography, X-Ray, DNA Helicases, DNA, Bacterial, DNA-Binding Proteins, Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli Proteins, Macromolecular Substances, Models, Molecular, Mycobacterium leprae, Protein Conformation, Protein Folding, Protein Structure, Secondary, Sequence Alignment, Sequence Homology, Amino Acid