title: The dual nature of homologous recombination in plants.
abstract: Homologous recombination creates covalent linkages between DNA in regions of highly similar or identical sequence. Recent results from several laboratories, many of them based on forward and reverse genetics in Arabidopsis, give insights into the mechanisms of the enzymatic machinery and the involvement of chromatin in somatic and meiotic DNA recombination. Also, signaling pathways and interconnections between repair pathways are being discovered. In addition, recent work shows that biotic and abiotic influences from the environment can dramatically affect plant genomes. The resulting changes in the DNA sequence, exerted at the level of somatic or meiotic tissue, might contribute to evolution.
authors.affiliation: Friedrich Miescher Institute, Maulbeerstrasse 66, CH-4058 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schuermann
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Molinier
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fritsch
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hohn
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics*; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000502:physiology; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000502:physiology; D011995:Recombination, Genetic