Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2025
08:48
Zygote Microinjection for Creating Gene Cassette Knock-in and Flox Alleles in Mice
Published on: June 24, 2022
4.5K
Genetic background affects the strength of crossover interference in house mice
Andrew P Morgan1, Bret A Payseur2
1Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|June 10, 2024
Summary
Genetic factors and male age influence meiotic recombination and crossover interference in mice. These findings reveal how genetic variation and paternal age impact chromosome inheritance and evolution.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Evolutionary Biology
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Meiotic recombination is crucial for accurate chromosome segregation and genetic variation. Crossover interference, the even spacing of crossovers, is observed across species but its drivers are unclear.
- Understanding factors affecting recombination rate and interference is key to comprehending genome evolution and inheritance patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of genetics and paternal age on recombination rate and crossover interference in male house mice (Mus musculus).
- To explore how genetic background and age influence the strength and evolution of crossover interference.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of crossover positions in 503 progeny from reciprocal F1 hybrids of three major house mouse subspecies.
- Comparison of recombination rates and interference patterns between young and old male mice across different genetic backgrounds.
Main Results:
- Autosomal alleles from M. m. musculus increased recombination rate, while the M. m. musculus X chromosome decreased it.
- Older males exhibited a higher average crossover rate (5.0%) than younger males, with variations across genetic backgrounds.
- Crossover interference strength was found to be genotype-dependent, suggesting rapid evolutionary adaptation, and X-linked factors appeared to modulate interference.
Conclusions:
- Genotype and paternal age significantly affect meiotic recombination and crossover interference in mice.
- Crossover interference is a dynamic trait that can evolve over short timescales, influenced by genetic factors.
- Further research comparing interference across species and the role of paternal age is warranted.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Crossing Over
4.3K
Crossing over is the exchange of genetic information between homologous chromosomes during prophase I of meiosis I. Genetic recombination gives rise to allelic diversity in the newly formed daughter cells. In humans, crossing over produces genetically distinct haploid egg and sperm cells that undergo fertilization to produce unique offspring. Before cell division starts, the germ cell’s chromosome(s) undergo duplication in the S phase of the cell cycle. As the cells enter prophase I,...
4.3K
02:32Position-effect Variegation
6.3K
In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.
6.3K
01:43Incomplete Dominance
22.5K
Gregor Mendel's work (1822 - 1884) was primarily focused on pea plants. Through his initial experiments, he determined that every gene in a diploid cell has two variants called alleles inherited from each parent. He suggested that amongst these two alleles, one allele is dominant in character and the other recessive. The combination of alleles determines the phenotype of a gene in an organism.
22.5K
01:09Epistasis Analysis
5.0K
Although Mendel chose seven unrelated traits in peas to study gene segregation, most traits involve multiple gene interactions that create a spectrum of phenotypes. When the interaction of various genes or alleles at different locations influences a phenotype, this is called epistasis. Epistasis often involves one gene masking or interfering with the expression of another (antagonistic epistasis). Epistasis often occurs when different genes are part of the same biochemical pathway. The...
5.0K
01:18Dihybrid Crosses
74.8K
Overview
74.8K
01:16In-vitro Mutagenesis
13.9K
To learn more about the function of a gene, researchers can observe what happens when the gene is inactivated or “knocked out,” by creating genetically engineered knockout animals. Knockout mice have been particularly useful as models for human diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes.
13.9K