The genus Habenivirus which includes Ralstonia virus ϕRSM encodes a site-specific integrase of a small serine recombinase belonging to the resolvase/invertase family. Here we describe the integrative/excisive recombination reactions mediated by ϕRSM integrase using in vitro assays. The products of attP/attB recombination, i.e. attL and attR, were exactly identical to those found in the prophage ϕRSM in R. solanacearum strains. The minimum size of attB required for integration was determined to be 37 bp, containing a 13 bp core and flanking sequences of 4 bp on the left and 20 bp on the right. ϕRSM integrative recombination proceeds efficiently in vitro in the absence of additional proteins or high-energy cofactors. Excision of a functional phage genome from a prophage fragment was demonstrated in vitro, demonstrating two-way activity of ϕRSM1 integrase. This is the first example of a small serine recombinase from the resolvase/invertase group that functions in integrative and excisive recombination for filamentous phages. This serine integrase could be used as a tool for several genome engineering applications.
Keywords: Habenivirus; In vitro assay; Site-specific recombination; attL/attR; attP/attB; ϕRSM-Int.