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Journal of Bacteriology, November 2004, p. 7704-7713, Vol. 186, No. 22
0021-9193/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.186.22.7704-7713.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effect of Host Species on RecG Phenotypes in Helicobacter pylori and Escherichia coli

Josephine Kang,* Don Tavakoli, Ariane Tschumi, Rahul A. Aras, and Martin J. Blaser

Departments of Microbiology and Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, and VA Medical Center, New York, New York

Received 14 April 2004/ Accepted 10 August 2004

Recombination is a fundamental mechanism for the generation of genetic variation. Helicobacter pylori strains have different frequencies of intragenomic recombination, arising from deletions and duplications between DNA repeat sequences, as well as intergenomic recombination, facilitated by their natural competence. We identified a gene, hp1523, that influences recombination frequencies in this highly diverse bacterium and demonstrate its importance in maintaining genomic integrity by limiting recombination events. HP1523 shows homology to RecG, an ATP-dependent helicase that in Escherichia coli allows repair of damaged replication forks to proceed without recourse to potentially mutagenic recombination. Cross-species studies done show that hp1523 can complement E. coli recG mutants in trans to the same extent as E. coli recG can, indicating that hp1523 has recG function. The E. coli recG gene only partially complements the hp1523 mutation in H. pylori. Unlike other recG homologs, hp1523 is not involved in DNA repair in H. pylori, although it has the ability to repair DNA when expressed in E. coli. Therefore, host context appears critical in defining the function of recG. The fact that in E. coli recG phenotypes are not constant in other species indicates the diverse roles for conserved recombination genes in prokaryotic evolution.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 550 First Ave., New York, NY 10016. Phone: (212) 263-4105. Fax: (212) 263-7700. E-mail: kangm01{at}med.nyu.edu.

Journal of Bacteriology, November 2004, p. 7704-7713, Vol. 186, No. 22
0021-9193/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.186.22.7704-7713.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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