Final answer:
The statement that RecA is the only protein required for bacterial recombination is false. RecA is crucial for homologous recombination, but other proteins and factors are also essential for this complex process. Homologs in other domains of life, like RadA in Archaea and Rad51 in Eukaryotes, highlight its evolutionary importance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that RecA is the only protein required for bacterial recombination is false. While RecA plays a critical role in the process of homologous recombination in bacteria by facilitating the pairing of homologous DNA sequences, it is not the sole protein involved. Multiple additional proteins and factors contribute to the complex process of recombination. These include proteins that process DNA ends, stabilize the DNA, and resolve the recombination intermediates.
RecA has homologs such as RadA in Archaea and Rad51 in Eukaryotes, which perform similar functions in DNA repair and are involved in synapsis during meiosis. This evolutionary conservation underscores the fundamental importance of these proteins in maintaining genetic integrity across different domains of life.