ArticleNature communications2025
RAD51 D-loop structures reveal the mechanism of eukaryotic RAD51-mediated strand exchange.
Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Mechanisms That Govern Recombinase Fidelity Control During Eukaryotic Homologous Recombination.BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology · 2026Review
- R-loops and D-loops: a delicate balance in genomic stability and instability.Cell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026Review
- A phosphorylation switch at MRE11 links ATM-ATR and calcium signaling to safeguard stalled replication fork stability.Research square · 2026Article
- Structures and molecular mechanisms of RAD54B in modulating homologous recombination.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Cryo-electron microscopic visualization of RAD51 filament assembly and end-capping by XRCC3-RAD51C-RAD51D-XRCC2.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Strand exchange is a key step in homologous recombination, enabling template-based repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Eukaryotic RAD51 forms an ATP-dependent helical presynaptic filament on single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), which then searches for homologous double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), and catalyzes the strand exchange to form a D-loop in an ATP hydrolysis-independent manner. The molecular mechanism by which RAD51 facilitates dsDNA unwinding and pairing remains unclear. Here, we present cryo-EM structures of RAD51 mini-filaments bound to homologous dsDNA, capturing five intermediates from dsDNA recruitment to D-loop formation. These structures, together with molecular dynamics simulations, suggest a stepwise mechanism: the conserved N-terminal domain (NTD) recruits and bends the dsDNA, weakening base pairing near the exchange site. Subsequent engagement with positively-charged regions, including the loop L2 and loop Arg303-Arg306, further bends the homologous dsDNA, thereby not only positioning it closer to the strand exchange site but also inducing local base-pair opening. Additionally, the loop L2 (Met278 and Phe279) inserts between strands, and the secondary DNA binding sites (S2 sites) capture the displaced strand to prevent strand reannealing. Together, our findings provide detailed insight into a spatially coordinated mechanism of strand exchange by RAD51.
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