DNA Recombination

About this book

Homologous recombination involves the precise exchange of similar or identical nucleic acid sequences between two DNA molecules. This process directs the repair of many DNA lesions in somatic cells and generates genetic variation in sperm and egg cells during meiosis. It is a nearly universal biological process that is conserved from phage to humans.

Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology covers all aspects of recombinational DNA repair, meiotic recombination, and the regulation of these processes. The contributors examine the dozens of proteins that are involved in recombinational repair and the various pathways in which they are employed (e.g., gene conversion or break-induced replication). They also discuss how these proteins and pathways are strictly regulated to avoid genomic instability, which can lead to diseases such as cancer, and how they are coordinated with other nuclear processes (e.g., transcription and DNA replication).

Meiotic recombination, the characteristics that distinguish it from recombinational repair, and effects of its dysregulation (e.g., aneuploidy) are also covered in depth. DNA Recombination is an indispensable reference for biochemists, molecular biologists, and cell biologists who want to understand how DNA recombination maintains genomic integrity in individual organisms and across generations.

Contents

Preface
PART 1: MECHANISMS OF RECOMBINATION
An Overview of the Molecular Mechanisms of Recombinational DNA Repair
    Stephen C. Kowalczykowski
Sources of DNA Double-Strand Breaks and Models of Recombinational DNA Repair
    Anuja Mehta and James E. Haber
End Resection at Double-Strand Breaks: Mechanism and Regulation
    Lorraine S. Symington
DNA-Pairing and Annealing Processes in Homologous Recombination and Homology-Directed Repair
    Scott W. Morrical
Mediators of Homologous DNA Pairing
    Alex Zelensky, Roland Kanaar, and Claire Wyman
Regulation of DNA Pairing in Homologous Recombination
    James M. Daley, William A. Gaines, YoungHo Kwon, and Patrick Sung
The Dissolution of Double Holliday Junctions
    Anna H. Bizard and Ian D. Hickson
Holliday Junction Resolvases
    Haley D.M. Wyatt and Stephen C. West
Structural Studies of DNA End Detection and Resection in Homologous Recombination
    Christian Bernd Schiller, Florian Ulrich Seifert, Christian Linke-Winnebeck, and Karl-Peter Hopfner

PART 2: REGULATION OF RECOMBINATION AND GENOMIC MAINTENANCE
Regulation of Recombination and Genomic Maintenance
    Wolf-Dietrich Heyer
Cell Biology of Mitotic Recombination
    Michael Lisby and Rodney Rothstein
Transcription and Recombination: When RNA Meets DNA
    Andrés Aguilera and Hélène Gaillard
Recombination and Replication
    Aisha H. Syeda, Michelle Hawkins, and Peter McGlynn
Mismatch Repair during Homologous and Homeologous Recombination
    Maria Spies and Richard Fishel
The Role of Double-Strand Break Repair Pathways at Functional and Dysfunctional Telomeres
    Ylli Doksani and Titia de Lange
Mechanisms of Gene Duplication and Amplification
    Andrew B. Reams and John R. Roth
Homologous Recombination and Human Health: The Roles of BRCA1, BRCA2, and Associated Proteins
    Rohit Prakash, Yu Zhang, Weiran Feng, and Maria Jasin

PART 3: MEIOTIC RECOMBINATION
Meiotic Recombination: The Essence of Heredity
    Neil Hunter
Recombination, Pairing, and Synapsis of Homologs during Meiosis
    Denise Zickler and Nancy Kleckner
Mechanism and Regulation of Meiotic Recombination Initiation
    Isabel Lam and Scott Keeney
Initiation of Meiotic Homologous Recombination: Flexibility, Impact of Histone Modifications, and Chromatin Remodeling
    Lóránt Székvölgyi, Kunihiro Ohta, and Alain Nicolas
DNA Strand Exchange and RecA Homologs in Meiosis
    M. Scott Brown and Douglas K. Bishop
The Meiotic Checkpoint Network: Step-by-Step through Meiotic Prophase
    Vijayalakshmi V. Subramanian and Andreas Hochwagen
Meiosis and Maternal Aging: Insights from Aneuploid Oocytes and Trisomy Births
    Mary Herbert, Dimitrios Kalleas, Daniel Cooney, Mahdi Lamb, and Lisa Lister
Index

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