Journal
ANNUAL REVIEW OF VIROLOGY, VOL 2
Volume 2, Issue -, Pages 25-40Publisher
ANNUAL REVIEWS
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-virology-100114-054930
Keywords
bacteriophage P1; plasmid; site-specific recombination; chromosome segregation; genetic engineering
Categories
Funding
- Intramural NIH HHS Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Cre-lox of bacteriophage P1 has become one of the most widely used tools for genetic engineering in eukaryotes. The origins of this tool date to more than 30 years ago when Nat L. Sternberg discovered the recombinase, Cre, and its specific locus of crossover, lox, while studying the maintenance of bacteriophage P1 as a stable plasmid. Recombinations mediated by Cre assist in cyclization of the DNA of infecting phage and in resolution of prophage multimers created by generalized recombination. Early in vitro work demonstrated that, although it shares similarities with the well-characterized bacteriophage. integration, Cre-lox is in many ways far simpler in its requirements for carrying out recombination. These features would prove critical for its development as a powerful and versatile tool in genetic engineering. We review the history of the discovery and characterization of Cre-lox and touch upon the present direction of Cre-lox research.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available