Direct coupling between meiotic DNA replication and recombination initiation.
During meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, DNA replication occurs 1. 5 to 2 hours before recombination initiates by DNA double-strand break formation. We show that replication and recombination initiation are directly linked. Blocking meiotic replication prevented double-strand break formation in a replication-checkpoint-independent manner, and delaying replication of a chromosome segment specifically delayed break formation in that segment. Consequently, the time between replication and break formation was held constant in all regions. We suggest that double-strand break formation occurs as part of a process initiated by DNA replication, which thus determines when meiotic recombination initiates on a regional rather than a cell-wide basis.
Borde
V
V
Laboratory of Biochemistry, Division of Basic Science, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-4255, USA.
Goldman
A S
AS
Lichten
M
M
D015825:Chromosomes, Fungal / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004260:DNA Repair; D004261:DNA Replication; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000378:metabolism*; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D008540:Meiosis; D009154:Mutation; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D004271:DNA, Fungal