Question

Describe the function of proteins involved in homologous recombination of E. coli.

A) Helicases unwind the DNA, polymerases synthesize new strands, and ligases seal nicks.
B) Restriction enzymes cleave DNA at specific sites, exonucleases remove damaged bases, and topoisomerases relieve DNA torsion.
C) RNA primase initiates replication, DNA polymerases proofread, and endonucleases repair errors.
D) RecA promotes strand exchange, RecBCD processes DNA ends, and RuvABC resolves Holliday junctions.

Answer 1

The proteins involved in E. coli homologous recombination include RecA for strand exchange, RecBCD for processing DNA ends, and RuvABC for resolving Holliday junctions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The function of proteins involved in homologous recombination of E. coli corresponds to option D): RecA promotes strand exchange, RecBCD processes DNA ends, and RuvABC resolves Holliday junctions.

• RecA protein is crucial in the search for homologous sequences and promotes the exchange of DNA strands between them.
• RecBCD is an enzyme complex that processes DNA ends, creating single-stranded DNA necessary for RecA to facilitate the strand exchange.
• The RuvABC complex is responsible for resolving Holliday junctions, which are crossover structures that can form during recombination.

These reactions are part of the homologous recombination pathway, a key process in DNA repair and genetic diversity during cell division in E. coli.