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Hereditas(Beijing) ›› 2022, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (5): 398-413.doi: 10.16288/j.yczz.22-016

• Review • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Recent advances in functional conservation and divergence of recombinase RAD51 and DMC1

Yuxuan Guo1(), Shunping Yan2, Yingxiang Wang1()   

  1. 1. Institute of Plant Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
    2. College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
  • Received:2022-01-17 Revised:2022-03-31 Online:2022-05-20 Published:2022-04-12
  • Contact: Wang Yingxiang E-mail:21110700065@m.fudan.edu.cn;yx_wang@fudan.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31925005)

Abstract:

Meiosis is a specialized cell division that occurs in reproductive cells during sexual reproduction. It contains once DNA replication following nucleus division twice, thus producing haploid gametes. Fusion of male and female gametes restores genome to the diploid level, which not only ensures the genome stability between generations during sexual reproduction, but also leads to genetic diversity among offspring. Meiosis homologous recombination (HR) is one of the crucial events during meiotic prophase I, and it not only ensures the subsequently faithful segregation of homologous chromosomes (homologs), but also exchanges genetic information between homologs with greatly increasing the genetic diversity of progeny. RAD51 (RADiation sensitive 51) and DMC1 (disruption Meiotic cDNA 1) are essential recombinases for the HR process, and have certain commonalities and differences. In this review, we summarize and compare the conserved and differentiated features of RAD51 and DMC1 in terms of origin, evolution, structure, and function, we also provide an outlook on future research directions to further understand and study the molecular mechanisms in regulation of meiotic recombination.

Key words: meiosis, homologous recombination, RAD51, DMC1