Links between DNA replication and recombination in prokaryotes

Recombination plays a crucial role in underpinning genome duplication, ensuring that replication blocks are removed or bypassed, and that the replication machinery is subsequently reloaded back onto the DNA. Recent studies have identified a surprising variety of ways in which damaged replication forks are repaired and have shown that the mechanism used depends on the nature of the original blocking lesion. Indeed, an emerging theme is that a single recombination enzyme or complex can perform highly varied tasks, depending on the context of the recombination reaction.