Clarifying the mechanics of DNA strand exchange in meiotic recombination.
During meiosis, accurate separation of maternal and paternal chromosomes requires that they first be connected to one another through homologous recombination. Meiotic recombination has many intriguing but poorly understood features that distinguish it from recombination in mitotically dividing cells, and several of these features depend on the meiosis-specific DNA strand exchange protein Dmc1 (disrupted meiotic cDNA1). Many questions about this protein have arisen since its discovery more than a decade ago, but recent genetic and biochemical breakthroughs promise to shed light on the unique behaviours and functions of this central player in the remarkable chromosome dynamics of meiosis.
Neale
Matthew J
MJ
Molecular Biology Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, New York 10021, USA.
Keeney
Scott
S
D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D003434:Crossing Over, Genetic / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008540:Meiosis / Q000235:genetics*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D004247:DNA; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; C074556:DMC1 protein, human