Michael T. Petassi

Lineage-specific amino acids define functional attributes of the protomer-protomer interfaces for the Rad51 and Dmc1 recombinases

The paper compares Rad51 and Dmc1 recombinases using structural and functional analyses to show differences in their interfacial amino acids and evolutionary trajectories.

Structural basis for Rad54- and Hed1-mediated regulation of Rad51 during the transition from mitotic to meiotic recombination

The paper identifies Rad51 interaction motifs in Rad54 and Hed1, and solves their CryoEM structures to explain their roles in regulating Rad51 activity during mitosis and meiosis.

Telomeric transposons are pervasive in linear bacterial genomes

The paper identifies telomeric transposons in cyanobacteria and Streptomyces that replace native telomeres and influence genome evolution.

Structural basis for target-site selection in RNA-guided DNA transposition systems

The paper uses cryo-EM to reveal how TnsC regulates target-site selection in CRISPR-associated transposition systems by transferring polarity information to the transposase.

Guide RNA categorization enables target site choice in Tn7-CRISPR-Cas transposons

The paper shows Tn7-CRISPR-Cas elements use guide RNA categorization for dual targeting pathways, enabling chromosomal and plasmid transposition with selective regulation and privatization.