Single sperm sequencing to understand meiotic recombination
/Factors influencing meiotic recombination revealed by whole-genome sequencing of single sperm
Anjali Gupta Hinch, Gang Zhang, Philipp W. Becker, Daniela Moralli, Robert Hinch, Benjamin Davies, Rory Bowden, & Peter Donnelly
Science (Research Article)
Sequencing and the single sperm
During meiosis, homologous chromosomes undergo doublestrand breaks in DNA that can cross over, shuffling genetic material. However, not every double-strand break resolves in a crossover event. Hinch et al. wanted to determine the rules governing DNA recombination. They developed a method to sequence individual mouse sperm and applied it to mice carrying two different alleles of a protein involved in mammalian crossovers. A high-resolution genetic map revealed the relationships between the distribution of crossovers, proteins involved in recombination, and specific factors determining whether a double-strand break becomes a crossover.
