Skip to main content
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1975 Jan;72(1):358–361. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.1.358

A general model for genetic recombination.

M S Meselson, C M Radding
PMCID: PMC432304  PMID: 1054510

Abstract

A general model is proposed for genetic recombination. Its essential new feature is the hypothesis that recombination is initiated by a single-strand (or asymmetric) transfer, which may, after isomerization, become a two-strand (or symmetric) exchange. The likelihood of this transition from asymmetric to symmetric strand exchange determines certain characteristic features of recombination in any particular organism.

Full text

PDF
361

Selected References

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

  1. Alberts B. M., Frey L. T4 bacteriophage gene 32: a structural protein in the replication and recombination of DNA. Nature. 1970 Sep 26;227(5265):1313–1318. doi: 10.1038/2271313a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baas P. D., Jansz H. S. Asymmetric information transfer during phi X174 DNA replication. J Mol Biol. 1972 Feb 14;63(3):557–568. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(72)90447-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Beerman T. A., Lebowitz J. Further analysis of the altered secondary structure of superhelical DNA. Sensitivity to methylmercuric hydroxide a chemical probe for unpaired bases. J Mol Biol. 1973 Sep 25;79(3):451–470. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(73)90398-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Broker T. R., Lehman I. R. Branched DNA molecules: intermediates in T4 recombination. J Mol Biol. 1971 Aug 28;60(1):131–149. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(71)90453-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cassuto E., Lash T., Sriprakash K. S., Radding C. M. Role of exonuclease and beta protein of phage lambda in genetic recombination. V. Recombination of lambda DNA in vitro. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1971 Jul;68(7):1639–1643. doi: 10.1073/pnas.68.7.1639. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cassuto E., Radding C. M. Mechanism for the action of lambda exonuclease in genetic recombination. Nat New Biol. 1971 Jan 6;229(1):13–16. doi: 10.1038/newbio229013a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Craig M. E., Crothers D. M., Doty P. Relaxation kinetics of dimer formation by self complementary oligonucleotides. J Mol Biol. 1971 Dec 14;62(2):383–401. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(71)90434-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Deutscher M. P., Kornberg A. Enzymatic synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid. XXIX. Hydrolysis of deoxyribonucleic acid from the 5' terminus by an exonuclease function of deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase. J Biol Chem. 1969 Jun 10;244(11):3029–3037. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Dumas L. B., Darby G., Sinsheimer R. L. The replication of bacteriophage phi X174 DNA in vitro. Temperature effects on repair synthesis and displacement synthesis. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1971 Jan 28;228(2):407–422. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fogel S., Hurst D. D. Meiotic gene conversion in yeast tetrads and the theory of recombination. Genetics. 1967 Oct;57(2):455–481. doi: 10.1093/genetics/57.2.455. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hotchkiss R. D. Models of genetic recombination. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1974;28(0):445–468. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.28.100174.002305. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kelly R. B., Cozzarelli N. R., Deutscher M. P., Lehman I. R., Kornberg A. Enzymatic synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid. XXXII. Replication of duplex deoxyribonucleic acid by polymerase at a single strand break. J Biol Chem. 1970 Jan 10;245(1):39–45. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kim J., Sharp P. A., Davidson N. Electron microscope studies of heteroduplex DNA from a deletion mutant of bacteriophage phiX-174. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Jul;69(7):1948–1952. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.7.1948. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Leblon G., Rossignol J. L. Mechanism of gene conversion in Ascobolus immersus. 3. The interaction of heteroallelas in the conversion process. Mol Gen Genet. 1973 Apr 12;122(2):165–182. doi: 10.1007/BF00435189. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Lee C. S., Davis R. W., Davidson N. A physical study by electron microscopy of the terminally reptitious, circularly permuted DNA from the coliphage particles of Escherichia coli 15. J Mol Biol. 1970 Feb 28;48(1):1–22. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(70)90215-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Masamune Y., Richardson C. C. Strand displacement during deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis at single strand breaks. J Biol Chem. 1971 Apr 25;246(8):2692–2701. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Meselson M. Formation of hybrid DNA by rotary diffusion during genetic recombination. J Mol Biol. 1972 Nov 28;71(3):795–798. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(72)80040-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Pörschke D., Eigen M. Co-operative non-enzymic base recognition. 3. Kinetics of the helix-coil transition of the oligoribouridylic--oligoriboadenylic acid system and of oligoriboadenylic acid alone at acidic pH. J Mol Biol. 1971 Dec 14;62(2):361–381. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(71)90433-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Radding C. M. Molecular mechanisms in genetic recombination. Annu Rev Genet. 1973;7:87–111. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.07.120173.000511. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Roger M. Evidence for conversion of heteroduplex transforming DNAs to homoduplexes by recipient pneumococcal cells (DNA strand resolution-DNA repair-bacterial transformation-genetic recombination). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1972 Feb;69(2):466–470. doi: 10.1073/pnas.69.2.466. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Sigal N., Alberts B. Genetic recombination: the nature of a crossed strand-exchange between two homologous DNA molecules. J Mol Biol. 1972 Nov 28;71(3):789–793. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(72)80039-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Spatz H. C., Trautner T. A. One way to do experiments on gene conversion? Transfection with heteroduplex SPP1 DNA. Mol Gen Genet. 1970;109(1):84–106. doi: 10.1007/BF00334048. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Stadler D. R., Towe A. M. Evidence for meiotic recombination in Ascobolus involving only one member of a tetrad. Genetics. 1971 Jul;68(3):401–413. doi: 10.1093/genetics/68.3.401. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Worcel A., Burgi E. On the structure of the folded chromosome of Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1972 Nov 14;71(2):127–147. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(72)90342-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES