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  • The EMBO Journal (2007) 26, 1352 - 1362
  • doi:10.1038/sj.emboj.7601582

Published online: 15 February 2007

Fission yeast Swi5/Sfr1 and Rhp55/Rhp57 differentially regulate Rhp51-dependent recombination outcomes

Yufuko Akamatsu1,a, Yasuhiro Tsutsui2, Takashi Morishita1,b, MD Shahjahan P Siddique1, Yumiko Kurokawa1, Mitsunori Ikeguchi1, Fumiaki Yamao2, Benoit Arcangioli3 and Hiroshi Iwasaki1

  1. International Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
  2. Division of Mutagenesis, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
  3. Departement de la Structure et Dynamique des Genomes, Institut Pasteur, Paris Cedex 15, France

Correspondence to:

Hiroshi Iwasaki, Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, International Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan. Tel.: +81 45 508 7238; Fax: +81 45 508 7269; E-mail: iwasaki@tsurumi.yokohama-cu.ac.jp

aPresent address: Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA

bPresent address: Genome Damage and Stability Centre, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RQ, UK

Received 16 February 2006; Accepted 8 January 2007

Several accessory proteins referred to as mediators are required for the full activity of the Rad51 (Rhp51 in fission yeast) recombinase. In this study, we analyzed in vivo functions of the recently discovered Swi5/Sfr1 complex from fission yeast. In normally growing cells, the Swi5-GFP protein localizes to the nucleus, where it forms a diffuse nuclear staining pattern with a few distinct foci. These spontaneous foci do not form in swi2Delta mutants. Upon UV irradiation, Swi5 focus formation is induced in swi2Delta mutants, a response that depends on Sfr1 function, and Sfr1 also forms foci that colocalize with damage-induced Rhp51 foci. The number of UV-induced Rhp51 foci is partially reduced in swi5Delta and rhp57Delta mutants and completely abolished in an swi5Delta rhp57Delta double mutant. An assay for products generated by HO endonuclease-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) reveals that Rhp51 and Rhp57, but not Swi5/Sfr1, are essential for crossover production. These results suggest that Swi5/Sfr1 functions as an Rhp51 mediator but processes DSBs in a manner different from that of the Rhp55/57 mediator.

  • Keywords:

    • crossover,
    • DNA double-strand break repair,
    • gene conversion,
    • homologous recombination,
    • Rad51 mediator