Recombination modulators and methods for producing and using the same

An isolated peptide for inhibiting a tyrosine recombinase, which peptide has the following formula:

• (Xaa1-Xaa2-Xaa3-Xaa4)n
• wherein Xaa1 is an aromatic or a basic amino acid residue, Xaa2 is Ser, Cys, an aromatic or a basic amino acid residue, Xaa3 is any amino acid residue, Xaa4 is Ser, Cys, an aromatic or a basic amino acid residue, wherein each of Xaa1, Xaa2, Xaa3, or Xaa4 can be a D or L amino acid residue and wherein n is an integer ranging from 1 to 10.

An isolated peptide for inhibiting a tyrosine recombinase, which peptide has the following formula:

• (Xaa1-Xaa2-Xaa3-Xaa4-Xaa5)n
• wherein Xaa1 is an aromatic or a basic amino acid residue, Xaa2 is Ser, Cys, an aromatic or a basic amino acid residue, each of Xaa3 or Xaa5 is any amino acid residue, Xaa4 is Ser, Cys, an aromatic or a basic amino acid residue, wherein each of Xaa1, Xaa2, Xaa3, Xaa4 or Xaa5 can be a D or L amino acid residue and wherein n is an integer ranging from 1 to 10.

An isolated peptide for inhibiting a tyrosine recombinase, which peptide has the following formula:

• (Xaa1-Xaa2-Xaa3-Xaa4-Xaa5-Xaa6)n
• wherein Xaa1 is an aromatic or a basic amino acid residue, Xaa2 is Ser, Cys, an aromatic or a basic amino acid residue, each of Xaa3 or Xaa5 is any amino acid residue, Xaa4 is Ser, Cys, an aromatic or a basic amino acid residue, Xaa6 is an aromatic or a basic amino acid residue, wherein each of Xaa1, Xaa2, Xaa3, Xaa4, Xaa5 or Xaa6 can be a D or L amino acid residue and wherein n is an integer ranging from 1 to 10.

An isolated peptide for inhibiting a tyrosine recombinase or a type I DNA topoisomerase, which peptide has the following formula:

• (Xaa1-Xaa2-Xaa3-Xaa4)n
• wherein each of Xaa1 and Xaa2 is an aromatic amino acid residue, Xaa3 is Ser, Cys or an aromatic amino acid residue, Xaa4 is an aromatic or a basic amino acid residue, wherein each of Xaa1, Xaa2, Xaa3, or Xaa4 can be a D or L amino acid residue and wherein n is an integer ranging from 1 to 10.

An isolated peptide for inhibiting a tyrosine recombinase or a type I DNA topoisomerase, which peptide has the following formula:

• (Xaa1-Xaa2-Xaa3-Xaa4-Xaa5)n
• wherein Xaa1 is a basic amino acid residue, each of Xaa2 and Xaa3 is an aromatic amino acid residue, Xaa4 is Ser, Cys or an aromatic amino acid residue, Xaa5 is an aromatic or a basic amino acid residue, wherein each of Xaa1, Xaa2, Xaa3, Xaa4 or Xaa5 can be a D or L amino acid residue and wherein n is an integer ranging from 1 to 10.

An isolated peptide for inhibiting a tyrosine recombinase or a type I DNA topoisomerase, which hexapeptide has the following formula:

• (Xaa1-Xaa2-Xaa3-Xaa4-Xaa5-Xaa6)n
• wherein Xaa1 is a basic amino acid residue, each of Xaa2 and Xaa3 is an aromatic amino acid residue, each of Xaa4 and Xaa6 is Ser, Cys or an aromatic amino acid residue, Xaa5 is an aromatic or a basic amino acid residue, wherein each of Xaa1, Xaa2, Xaa3, Xaa4, Xaa5 or Xaa6 can be a D or L amino acid residue and wherein n is an integer ranging from 1 to 10.

A method for inhibiting cell growth in a subject, which method comprises administering to a subject, to which such inhibition is desirable, an effective amount of an inhibitor of a site-specific DNA recombinase or a type I DNA topoisomerase, whereby cell growth is inhibited.