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In order to exchange genetic material between parental chromosomes during meiosis, cells need to introduce DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) that are later repaired in a specific manner. Which proteins are necessary and sufficient for this process and how they achieve faithful DSB formation and repair is still poorly understood. The lab of Peter Schlögelhofer and their collaborator Mathilde Grelon from the INRAE (Versailles, France) have systematically investigated the interactions between DSB proteins in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Their work also identified a key protein that links the DSB complex to the DNA repair machinery. The study is published in Nucleic Acids Research.

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