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Homologous DNA recombination (HR) by the RAD51 recombinase enables error-free DNA break repair. To execute HR, RAD51 first forms a presynaptic filament on single-stranded (ss) DNA, which catalyses pairing with homologous double-stranded (ds) DNA. Here, we report a structure for the presynaptic human RAD51 filament at 3.5-5.0Å resolution using electron cryo-microscopy. RAD51 encases ssDNA in a helical filament of 103Å pitch, comprising 6.4 protomers per turn, with a rise of 16.1Å and a twist of 56.2°. Inter-protomer distance correlates with rotation of an α-helical region in the core catalytic domain that is juxtaposed to ssDNA, suggesting how the RAD51-DNA interaction modulates protomer spacing and filament pitch. We map Fanconi anaemia-like disease-associated RAD51 mutations, clarifying potential phenotypes. We predict binding sites on the presynaptic filament for two modules present in each BRC repeat of the BRCA2 tumour suppressor, a critical HR mediator. Structural modelling suggests that changes in filament pitch mask or expose one binding site with filament-inhibitory potential, rationalizing the paradoxical ability of the BRC repeats to either stabilize or inhibit filament formation at different steps during HR. Collectively, our findings provide fresh insight into the structural mechanism of HR and its dysregulation in human disease.
Pubmed ID: 27596592
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A highly extensible program for interactive visualization and analysis of molecular structures and related data, including density maps, supramolecular assemblies, sequence alignments, docking results, trajectories, and conformational ensembles. High-quality images and animations can be generated. Chimera includes complete documentation and several tutorials, and can be downloaded free of charge for academic, government, non-profit, and personal use.
View all literature mentionsSoftware for macromolecular model building, model completion and validation, and protein modelling using X-ray data. Coot displays maps and models and allows model manipulations such as idealization, rigid-body fitting, ligand search, Ramachandran plots, non-crystallographic symmetry and more. Source code is available.
View all literature mentionsA molecular refinement program with two main modes: REVIEW, which checks and updates the input model to establish that the geometric restraints can be properly set up, and REFINE mode, which is the standard mode and documented in keywords. In REVIEW users can: check model coordinates and write an extended output set of coordinates, find disulphide bonds and other covalent links, cis-peptides, output the sequence and REMARK records. In REFINEMENT mode users can carry out rigid body, tls, restrained or unrestrained refinement against Xray data, or idealisation of a macromolecular structure. Also in REFINEMENT mode, Refmac produces an MTZ output file containing weighted coefficients for SigmaA weighted mFo-DFcalc and 2mFo-DFcalc maps. The program is supported by CCP4.
View all literature mentionsSoftware tool as Program for Comparative Protein Structure Modelling by Satisfaction of Spatial Restraints. Used for homology or comparative modeling of protein three dimensional structures. User provides alignment of sequence to be modeled with known related structures and MODELLER automatically calculates model containing all non hydrogen atoms.
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