Cloning the RAD51 homologue ofSchizosaccharomyces pombe

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The RAD51 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a RecA like protein, which is involved in the recombinational repair of double strand breaks. We have isolated the RAD51 homologue, rhp51 + , of the distantly releated yeast strain Schizosaccharomyces pombe by heterologous hybridization. DNA sequence analysis of the rhp51 + gene revealed an open reading frame of 365 amino acids. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of RAD51 and rhp51+ showed a high level of conservation: 69% identical amino acids. There are two Mlul sites in the upstream region which may be associated with cell cycle regulation of the rhp51 + gene. The rhp51+ null allele, constructed by disruption of the coding region, is extremely sensitive to X-rays, indicating that the rhp51+ gene, like RAD51, is also involved in the repair of X-ray damage. The structural and functional homology between rhp51* and RAD51 suggests evolutionary conservation of certain steps in the recombinational repair pathway.