The process of information exchange between two homologous DNA duplexes is known as homologous recombination (HR) or double-strand break repair (DSBR), depending on the context. HR is the fundamental process underlying the genome shuffling that expands genetic diversity (for example during meiosis in eukaryotes). DSBR is an essential repair pathway in all three domains of life, and plays a major role in the rescue of stalled or collapsed replication forks, a phenomenon known as recombination-dependent replication (RDR). The process of HR in the archaea is gradually being elucidated, initially from structural and biochemical studies, but increasingly using new genetic systems. The present review focuses on our current understanding of the structures, functions and interactions of archaeal HR proteins, with an emphasis on recent advances. There are still many unknown aspects of archaeal HR, most notably the mechanism of branch migration of Holliday junctions, which is also an open question in eukarya.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
February 2011
-
Cover Image
Cover Image
- PDF Icon PDF LinkFront Matter
- PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of Contents
Conference Article|
January 19 2011
Homologous recombination in the archaea: the means justify the ends
Malcolm F. White
Malcolm F. White
1
1Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9ST, U.K.
1email mfw2@st-andrews.ac.uk
Search for other works by this author on:
Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
July 09 2010
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2011 Biochemical Society
2011
Biochem Soc Trans (2011) 39 (1): 15–19.
Article history
Received:
July 09 2010
Citation
Malcolm F. White; Homologous recombination in the archaea: the means justify the ends. Biochem Soc Trans 1 February 2011; 39 (1): 15–19. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0390015
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Sign in to your personal account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Captcha Validation Error. Please try again.