M26 recombinational hotspot and physical conversion tract analysis in the ade6 gene of Schizosaccharomyces pombe

At the ade6 locus of Schizosaccharomyces pombe flanking markers have been introduced as well as five silent restriction site polymorphisms: four in the 5' upstream region and one in the middle of the gene. The mutations ade6-706, ade6-M26 (both at the 5' end) and ade6-51 (middle of the gene) were used as partners for crosses with the 3' mutation ade6-469. From these three types of crosses, wild-type recombinants were selected and analyzed genetically to assess association with crossing-over and physically to determine conversion tract lengths. The introduced restriction site polymorphisms (five vs. only one) neither influenced the pattern of recombinant types nor the distribution of conversion tracts. The hotspot mutation M26 enhances crossing-over and conversion to the same proportion. M26 not only stimulates conversion at the 5' end, but does this also (to a lower extent) at the 3' end of ade6 at a distance of more than 1 kb. The majority of meiotic conversion tracts are continuous and postmeiotic segregation of polymorphic sites is rare. Conversion tracts are slightly shorter with M26 in comparison with its control 706. The mean minimal length of tracts varies from 670 bp (M26) to 890 bp (706) to 1290 bp (51). It is concluded that M26 acts as an initiation site of recombination or enhances initiation of recombination. M26 does not act by termination of conversion. A region of recombination initiation exists at the 5' end of the ade6 gene also in the absence of the ade6-M26 hotspot mutation.