Genetic Functions Promoting Homologous Recombination in Escherichia coli: A Study of Inversions in Phage Λ
ABSTRACT We have studied homologous recombination in a derivative of phage λ containing two 1.4-kb repeats in inverted orientation. Inversion of the intervening 2.5-kb segment occurred efficiently by the Escherichia coli RecBC pathway but markedly less efficiently by the λ Red pathway or the E. coli RecE or RecF pathways. Inversion by the RecBCD pathway was stimulated by Chi sites located to the right of the invertible segment; this stimulation decreased exponentially by a factor of about 2 for each 2.2 kb between the invertible segment and the Chi site. In addition to RecA protein and RecBCD enzyme, inversion by the RecBC pathway required single-stranded DNA binding protein, DNA gyrase, DNA polymerase I and DNA ligase. Inversion appeared to occur either intra- or intermolecularly. These results are discussed in the framework of a current molecular model for the RecBC pathway of homologous recombination.