We investigated the role of chromatin in the catalysis of homologous strand pairing by Rad54 and Rad51. Rad54 is related to the ATPase subunits of chromatin-remodeling factors, whereas Rad51 is related to bacterial RecA. In the absence of superhelical tension, we found that the efficiency of strand pairing with chromatin is >100-fold higher than that with naked DNA. In addition, we observed that Rad54 and Rad51 function cooperatively in the ATP-dependent remodeling of chromatin. These findings indicate that Rad54 and Rad51 have evolved to function with chromatin, the natural substrate, rather than with naked DNA.
