PRDM9 points the zinc finger at meiotic recombination hotspots

Genome Biol. 2010;11(2):104. doi: 10.1186/gb-2010-11-2-104. Epub 2010 Feb 26.

Abstract

Meiotic recombination events are spread nonrandomly across eukaryotic genomes in 'hotspots'. Recent work shows that a unique histone methyltransferase, PRDM9, determines their distribution.

Publication types

  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chromatin / genetics
  • DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Founder Effect
  • Histone Methyltransferases
  • Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Meiosis / genetics*
  • Mice
  • Pan troglodytes / genetics
  • Recombination, Genetic*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics
  • Zinc Fingers / genetics*

Substances

  • Chromatin
  • Histone Methyltransferases
  • Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase
  • PRDM9 protein, human