Mechanism and Regulation of Meiotic Recombination Initiation
- Isabel Lam1,2 and
- Scott Keeney1,2,3
- 1Louis V. Gerstner Jr. Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065
- 2Molecular Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065
- 3Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065
- Correspondence: s-keeney{at}ski.mskcc.org
Abstract
Meiotic recombination involves the formation and repair of programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) catalyzed by the conserved Spo11 protein. This review summarizes recent studies pertaining to the formation of meiotic DSBs, including the mechanism of DNA cleavage by Spo11, proteins required for break formation, and mechanisms that control the location, timing, and number of DSBs. Where appropriate, findings in different organisms are discussed to highlight evolutionary conservation or divergence.
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