Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Meiotic recombination proceeds via binding of RPA, RAD51, and DMC1 to single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) substrates created after formation of programmed DNA double-strand breaks. Here we report high-resolution in vivo maps of RPA and RAD51 in meiosis, mapping their binding locations and lifespans to individual homologous chromosomes using a genetically engineered hybrid mouse. Together with high-resolution microscopy and DMC1 binding maps, we show that DMC1 and RAD51 have distinct spatial localization on ssDNA: DMC1 binds near the break site, and RAD51 binds away from it. We characterize inter-homolog recombination intermediates bound by RPA in vivo, with properties expected for the critical displacement loop (D-loop) intermediates. These data support the hypothesis that DMC1, not RAD51, performs strand exchange in mammalian meiosis. RPA-bound D-loops can be resolved as crossovers or non-crossovers, but crossover-destined D-loops may have longer lifespans. D-loops resemble crossover gene conversions in size, but their extent is similar in both repair pathways.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/j.molcel.2020.06.015

Type

Journal article

Journal

Mol Cell

Publication Date

20/08/2020

Volume

79

Pages

689 - 701.e10

Keywords

D-loop, DMC1, DNA double-strand breaks, DNA repair, RAD51, RPA, crossover, meiosis, recombination, strand invasion, Animals, Cell Cycle Proteins, Chromosomes, Crossing Over, Genetic, DNA, Single-Stranded, Genome, Homologous Recombination, Male, Meiosis, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Inbred DBA, Phosphate-Binding Proteins, Rad51 Recombinase, Replication Protein A, Testis