Fig. 1: Cryo-EM analysis of RAD51 mini-filament assembly and strand exchange activity.

a Representative cryo-EM micrograph depicting both mini-filaments and extended RAD51 filaments formation using the SEAD mutant. The mini-filaments are highlighted in the red circles. The experiment was repeated at least three times with similar results. b DNA strand exchange activity of the mouse RAD51-SEAD mutant is comparable to that of the wild-type (WT) protein. (i) Schematic representation of the strand exchange reaction. An asterisk (*) indicates the Cy5 fluorescent dye. (ii) DNA strand exchange activity of RAD51-SEAD. The results were graphed. Data represent the mean ± standard error of the mean (s.e.m.) from three independent experiments (n = 3). Source data are provided as a Source Data file. c Cryo-EM density map (left) and atomic model (right) of the RAD51 presynaptic mini-filament. The N-terminal domain (NTD) is colored orange and the bound ssDNA is shown in red. d Cryo-EM density map (left) and atomic model (right) of the RAD51 postsynaptic mini-filament. The NTD, ssDNA, and the paired complementary strand are colored orange, red, and blue, respectively.