Meiotic DNA breaks and recombination

In order to generate haploid gametes, eukaryotes can undergo a specialised form of cell division called meiosis. During the first round of meiosis, homologous chromosomes - one from each parent) - must be linked together so they can be properly segregated. In order to do so, most organisms use meiotic recombination to generate crossovers between homologous chromosomes. We describe our recent work that has used biochemical reconstitution to understand parts of the protein machinery that ensures faithful segregation of homologous chromosomes during meiosis.