Insights into the control of RAD51 nucleoprotein filament dynamics from single-molecule studies.

Curr Opin Genet Dev

Cancer Research Center of Marseille, CNRS UMR7258, Inserm U1068, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Aix-Marseille Université UM105, Marseille, France. Electronic address:

Published: December 2021


Category Ranking

98%

Total Visits

921

Avg Visit Duration

2 minutes

Citations

20

Article Abstract

Genomic integrity depends on the RecA/RAD51 protein family. Discovered over five decades ago with the founder bacterial RecA protein, eukaryotic RAD51 is an ATP-dependent DNA strand transferase implicated in DNA double-strand break and single-strand gap repair, and in dealing with stressed DNA replication forks. RAD51 assembles as a nucleoprotein filament around single-stranded DNA to promote homology recognition in a duplex DNA and subsequent strand exchange. While the intrinsic dynamics of the RAD51 nucleoprotein filament has been extensively studied, a plethora of accessory factors control its dynamics. Understanding how modulators control filament dynamics is at the heart of current research efforts. Here, we describe recent advances in RAD51 control mechanisms obtained specifically using fluorescence-based single-molecule techniques.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gde.2021.09.001DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

nucleoprotein filament
12
rad51 nucleoprotein
8
filament dynamics
8
rad51
5
dna
5
insights control
4
control rad51
4
filament
4
dynamics
4
dynamics single-molecule
4

Similar Publications

DprA (also known as Smf) is a conserved RecA mediator originally characterized by its role in natural chromosomal transformation, yet its widespread presence across bacteria hints at broader DNA metabolic functions. Here, we demonstrate that DprA enhances the frequency of Hfr conjugation in vivo. In vitro, RecA·ATP binds and cooperatively polymerizes in a 50-nucleotide (nt) polydeoxy T (dT) ssDNA to form dynamic filaments that SSB inhibits, an effect fully reversed by DprA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Homologous recombination (HR) preserves genomic stability by repairing double-strand DNA breaks and ensuring efficient DNA replication. Central to HR is the strand-exchange reaction taking place within the three-stranded synapsis wherein a RAD51 nucleoprotein filament binds to a donor DNA. Here, we present the cryoEM structure of a displacement loop of human RAD51 that captures the synaptic state when the filament has become tightly bound to the donor DNA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Microtubule mechanotransduction refines cytomegalovirus interactions with and remodeling of host chromatin.

Nat Commun

August 2025

Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.

Human cytomegalovirus extensively alters nuclear organization and the cellular transcriptome, yet understanding of these genome-wide events remains relatively limited. Here, chromatin conformation capture (Hi-C) revealed how cytomegalovirus alters chromosome organization at both large- and small-scales. Nascent transcriptomics further revealed how transcriptional changes correlate with genomic reorganization, while also uncovering infection-induced transcriptional dysregulation that contributes to the induction of neuronal gene signatures in infected fibroblasts.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lamins are intermediate filaments constituting the nuclear lamina which maintains the structural integrity of the nucleus and play a key role in the spatiotemporal genome organization. Mutations in lamin A/C have been associated with a plethora of diseases including dilated cardiomyopathy. In this study, we focused on lamin A mutants E161K and K97E which are widely reported in patients afflicted with dilated cardiomyopathy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Discovery of unique mitotic mechanisms in .

Open Biol

August 2025

Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.

Diplonemids are highly diverse and abundant marine plankton with significant ecological importance. However, little is known about their biology, even in the model diplonemid whose genome sequence is available. Examining the subcellular localization of proteins using fluorescence microscopy is a powerful approach to infer their putative function.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF