Protein - DNA interactions

The synaptic complex of a bacterial integron

The bacterial integron is a genetic system that allows rapid adaptation to changing environment using DNA recombination. It is one of the mechanisms that promote the spread of multiple antibiotic resistances. The system depends on the synaptic complex – a formation between two single-stranded recombination sites, called attC, and the protein integrase (IntI) that performs recombination. We have engineered a DNA construct that mimics a gene cassette flanked by two attC sites aadA7 and allows the integrase IntI1 to form a synapse. We study the stability and structure of such a formation using optical tweezers providing first data on the biophysical characteristics of this molecular formation, that is crucial for the integron system functionality.

Team members on the project: Kate