| Director | Akira SHINOHARA |
|---|---|
| 准教授 | Miki SHINOHARA |
| 助教 | Takehiko USUI |
| Tel | 81-6-6879-8624 |
|---|---|
| Fax | 81-6-6879-8626 |
Homologous recombination, an exchange between DNA strands, plays a role in the maintenance of genome stability and the production of genome diversity. While, in mitosis, it is required for the repair of DNA damage, it is for the segregation of homologous chromosome at meiotic division I. Meiotic recombination is coupled with chromosome morphogenesis and is under a strict control. Malfunction of the recombination leads cancer and infertility in human. In order to reveal molecular mechanism of the recombination, we have been analyzing genes and proteins involved in the process using molecular, genetical and biochemical methods.

<Fig.1>
(A) A schematic pathway of assembly of protein machinery involved in
homology search. RPA (green), Rad52 (red), Rad51 (blue).
(B) Rad51 filament on the DNA. It forms a right-handed helical filament.
(C) Rad51 forms a ring-like structure bound to DNAs.

<Fig.2>
Synaptonemal complex (SC) formation. Immuno-staining analysis of the SC
components, Zip1 (red) and Red1 (green) in the budding yeast. In SCs,
paternal and maternal chromosomes are fully paired along chromosomes.
Blue shows DNA, thus chromosomes.