Spatial regulation of meiotic recombination

Meiosis is a specialised form of cell division essential for sexual reproduction: it leads to a halving of the genetic content of gametes (sperm and egg cells in humans), ensuring that they are haploid and ready to fuse at fertilisation. Genetic recombination takes place during meiosis. This involves the exchange and shuffling of genetic material across chromosomes generating genetic diversity. In many organisms, including humans, control of the initiation and spatial distribution of recombination is critical to both reproductive and evolutionary success.

I will test the role of the evolutionarily conserved DNA damage-response checkpoint protein Tel1 in this process. I will also investigate how higher-order chromosome structure shapes the spatial landscape of genetic recombination, and will employ a variety of genetic, biochemical, genomic, computational and imaging approaches to study meiosis in yeast cells.