Finding recombination hotspots

Mathematical method valid at low and fine resolution, but use for disease mapping doubted

| 3 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
3:00
Share

A new algorithm for revealing recombination hotspots, reported in the April 23 Science, has found that most recombination occurs outside genes. The mathematical method will be important in understanding the nature of recombination, according to the paper's authors. But others feel that claims that it will aid in mapping disease loci are unjustified.

“If we have a better sense of the way in which recombination rates go up and down in various places across the genome, we have a hope of learning more about the molecular mechanisms involved,” said Peter Donnelly, coauthor of the paper and professor in the Department of Statistics at Oxford University.

Donnelly told The Scientist that the team's algorithm revealed that recombination occurs, on average, once every 200 kilobase pairs, with up to four-fold increases in frequency in these hotspots.

The method will enable comparison of recombination frequency in sequence motifs between species to discover what ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

  • Cathy Holding

    This person does not yet have a bio.
Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo
New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

Sino

Products

Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide

Explore a Concise Guide to Optimizing Viral Transduction

A Visual Guide to Lentiviral Gene Delivery

Takara Bio
Inventia Life Science

Inventia Life Science Launches RASTRUM™ Allegro to Revolutionize High-Throughput 3D Cell Culture for Drug Discovery and Disease Research

An illustration of differently shaped viruses.

Detecting Novel Viruses Using a Comprehensive Enrichment Panel

Twist Bio