Work

Differential Regulation of Short- and Long-Tract Gene Conversion between Sister Chromatids by Rad51C

Year: 2006

Type: article

Abstract: The Rad51 paralog Rad51C has been implicated in the control of homologous recombination. To study the role of Rad51C in vivo in mammalian cells, we analyzed short-tract and long-tract gene conversion between sister chromatids in hamster Rad51C(-/-) CL-V4B cells in response to a site-specific chromosomal double-strand break. Gene conversion was inefficient in these cells and was specifically restored by expression of wild-type Rad51C. Surprisingly, gene conversions in CL-V4B cells were biased in favor of long-tract gene conversion, in comparison to controls expressing wild-type Rad51C. These long-tract events were not associated with crossing over between sister chromatids. Analysis of gene conversion tract lengths in CL-V4B cells lacking Rad51C revealed a bimodal frequency distribution, with almost all gene conversions being either less than 1 kb or greater than 3.2 kb in length. These results indicate that Rad51C plays a pivotal role in determining the "choice" between short- and long-tract gene conversion and in suppressing gene amplifications associated with sister chromatid recombination.

Source: Molecular and Cellular Biology

DOI: 10.1128/mcb.01235-06

Authors: Ganesh Nagaraju, Shobu Odate, Anyong Xie, Ralph Scully

Institutions: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard University

Language: English

Topic: DNA Repair Mechanisms

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences