It Is Just a Matter of Time: Balancing Homologous Recombination and Non-homologous End Joining at the rDNA Locus During Meiosis.

ABSTRACT: Ribosomal RNA genes (rDNAs) are located in large domains of hundreds of rDNA units organized in a head-to-tail manner. The proper and stable inheritance of rDNA clusters is of paramount importance for survival. Yet, these highly repetitive elements pose a potential risk to the genome since they can undergo non-allelic exchanges. Here, we review the current knowledge of the organization of the rDNA clusters in Arabidopsis thaliana and their stability during meiosis. Recent findings suggest that during meiosis, all rDNA loci are embedded within the nucleolus favoring non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) as a repair mechanism, while DNA repair via homologous recombination (HR) appears to be a rare event. We propose a model where (1) frequent meiotic NHEJ events generate abundant si

SUBMITTER: Sims J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8580885 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature