Structural Studies of SSB Interaction with RecO

Abstract

Interaction of recombination protein RecO with single-stranded (ss) DNA-binding protein (SSB) is essential for DNA damage repair and restart of stalled replication (Cox, Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 42(1):41-63, 2007). To understand mechanism of this interaction and its role in DNA repair, we deciphered a high-resolution structure of RecO complex with C-terminal tail of SSB (SSB-Ct). The structure revealed a key role of hydrophobic interactions between two proteins and suggests the mechanism of RecO recruitment to DNA during homologous recombination and strand annealing.