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. 1988 Jul;85(13):4653–4656. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.13.4653

A Holliday recombination intermediate is twofold symmetric.

M E Churchill 1, T D Tullius 1, N R Kallenbach 1, N C Seeman 1
PMCID: PMC280493  PMID: 3387432

Abstract

Four-arm Holliday structures are ephemeral intermediates in genetic recombination. We have used an oligodeoxynucleotide system to form immobile DNA junctions, which are stable analogs of Holliday structures. We have probed the equilibrium structure of a junction by means of hydroxyl radicals generated by the reaction of iron(II)EDTA with hydrogen peroxide. The hydroxyl radical cleavage pattern shows twofold symmetry throughout the molecule. Strong protection from hydroxyl radical attack is evident on two strands near the branch site, and weaker protection may be seen four or five residues 3' to the branch site on the other two strands. No other position appears significantly distinct from double-helical DNA controls. From these data, we conclude that the Holliday junction is a twofold symmetric complex whose four arms form two stacking domains.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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