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Updated: Mar 25, 2026

Visualizing and Quantifying Endonuclease-Based Site-Specific DNA Damage
Published on: August 21, 2021
Mechanisms of germ line genome instability
Seoyoung Kim1, Shaun E Peterson2, Maria Jasin2
1Molecular Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA;.
Abstract:
During meiosis, numerous DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are formed as part of the normal developmental program. This seemingly destructive behavior is necessary for successful meiosis, since repair of the DSBs through homologous recombination (HR) helps to produce physical links between the homologous chromosomes essential for correct chromosome segregation later in meiosis. However, DSB formation at such a massive scale also introduces opportunities to generate gross chromosomal rearrangements. In this review, we explore ways in which meiotic DSBs can result in such genomic alterations.
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