Effects of Hin Recombinase Dimer Interface Mutants on DNA Binding and Recombination

Previous biochemical assays and a structural model indicated that the dimer interface of the Hin recombinase is composed of the two a-helices. To elucidate the structure and function of the helix, amino acids in the N-terminal end of the helix, where the two helices contact most, were randomized, and inversion-incompetent mutants were selected. To investigate why the mutants lost their inversion activities, the DNA binding, hix-pairing, invertasome formation, and DNA cleavage activities were assayed using in vivo and in vitro methodologies. Results indicated that the mutants could be divided into 4 classes based on their DNA binding activity. We proposed that the a-helices might place a DNA binding motif of Hin properly to the minor DNA groove of the recombination site. All the mutants except the non-binders were able to perform hix-pairing and invertasome formation, suggesting that the dimer interface is not involved in the process of hix-pairing or invertasome formation. The inversion-incompetent phenotype of the binders was caused by the inability of mutants to perform the DNA cleavage activity. The less binders exhibited wild-type level of hix-pairing activity because the hix-pairing activity overcomes the DNA binding defect of the less binders. This phenotype of the less binders suggests that the binding domains of Hin could mediate Hin-Hin interaction during hix-pairing..