ReeF and ReeBC Function during Recombination of Nonreplicating, UV-irradiated Phage k DNA and during Other Recombination Processes

A number of gene products have been identified by mutation as participants inone or more recombination processes in Escherichia coli (Clark 1973). Investiga-tion of the roles of these products in homologous re-combination in this organism has proceeded mainly along two complementary lines. One approach, puri-fication of the particular protein and biochemical characterization by means of model reaction studies, has been notably informative in the case of the recA gene product, RecA (see articles in this volume). One reason for this success is the obvious, direct relevance to plausible models for recombination processes of RecA-catalyzed reactions. Although biochemical char-acterization of the complex enzyme encoded by the recB and recC genes has also been informative, at leas