Abstract

Summary: The maintenance of genetic information and its accurate transmission from one generation to the next are essential processes for organisms to survive and populate. Errors in this process must be corrected, and cells have evolved various means to repair any damage to chromosomal DNA that may arise over time.

In my lab, we study the process of homologous recombination (HR)—a potentially error-free DNA repair pathway that works by copying information from intact DNA sequences present elsewhere in the genome. HR is used extensively in meiotic cells to repair DNA breaks that are purposely created by the cell. In this context, HR is not just a repair mechanism, but also a method to drive interaction and genetic exchange between maternally and paternally inherited chromosomes, creating haploid genomes that are chimeras of the parental genetic information.

In this seminar I will describe the findings of our recent research, which has focused on characterising initial events in the meiotic recombination DNA repair pathway.

Lab web page: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/lifesci/nealelab/

Recent publications: http://tinyurl.com/cbl9num