Interconversion of replication and recombination structures: implications for terminal repeats and concatemers.

Replication and recombination structures can be interconverted by branch-migration. Using this simple concept a novel mechanism is proposed for generating concatemers through an initial single-strand DNA invasion into a duplex. Only DNAs with terminal repeats can form concatemers, and Herpes Simplex Virus DNA replication is considered in detail. The model is more parsimonious than other models such as Watson's for concatemer formation.