Protein Domain : Protein of unknown function, Gam-like IPR009859

Type	Family
Description	The Gam protein, originally characterised in Bacteriophage Mu, protects linear double stranded DNA from exonuclease degradation in vitroand in vivo[ ]. This protein is also found in many bacterial species as part of a suspected prophage. Further studies have shown that Gam is a functional counterpart of the eukaryotic Ku protein, which has key roles in DNA repair and in certain transposition events. Gam displays DNA binding characteristics remarkably similar to those of human Ku []. In addition, Gam can interfere with Ty1 retrotransposition in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker's yeast). These data reveal structural and functional parallels between bacteriophage Gam and eukaryotic Ku and suggest that their functions have been evolutionarily conserved [].This family consists of several hypothetical bacterial and phage proteins of around 180 residues in length. The function of these proteins is not currently known, but they are related to the host-nuclease inhibitor protein Gam.
Short Name	Gam-like