Open AccessSite-specific DNA inversion is enhanced by a DNA sequence element in cis
Author(s) -
Hans E. Huber,
Shigeru Iida,
Werner Arber,
Thomas A. Bickle
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.82.11.3776
Subject(s) - recombination , plasmid , genetics , base pair , gene , dna , inverted repeat , chromosomal inversion , biology , insertion sequence , genome , transposable element , chromosome , karyotype
A segment of the bacteriophage P1 genome, called the C segment, can be inverted by site-specific recombination; the two different orientations of the invertible segment confer different host ranges to the phage. Inversion is catalyzed by the product of thecin gene which is adjacent to one of the crossover sites flanking the C segment. The Cin-catalyzed recombination can be measured intrans by using tester plasmids in which inversion switches on antibiotic-resistance genes. We show here that an additional sequence, distinct from the two crossover sites, is needed incis for efficient inversion. This sequence is part of thecin structural gene and stimulates recombination more than 100-fold. We have localized the major enhancer sequence on a 72-base-pair fragment and found its activity to be largely independent of the orientation or position of the sequence with respect to the crossover sites.