recombinace

Recombination, sometimes encountered in texts as recombinace, is a genetic process that reshuffles DNA to create new combinations of genetic material. It occurs in many organisms and contributes to genetic diversity, repair of DNA damage, and proper chromosome segregation during meiosis. In meiosis, homologous recombination exchanges DNA between homologous chromosomes, producing chiasmata and recombinant chromatids.

The main pathways are homologous recombination, which requires sequence similarity and involves enzymes such as RecA and RAD51 that mediate strand invasion and exchange, and non-homologous end joining, which joins broken DNA ends with little or no homology. Site-specific recombination uses dedicated recombinases (for example Cre and Flp) to cut and rejoin DNA at defined sequences and is widely used in genetic engineering.

Recombination also occurs in bacteria and archaea during DNA repair and horizontal gene transfer, enabling the spread of useful traits. In viruses, recombination can mix genomes from different strains, creating mosaic genomes that can alter virulence and host range.

In biotechnology and medicine, recombination underpins recombinant DNA technology, enabling production of therapeutic proteins and vaccines and the creation of genetically modified organisms. It also supports genome editing approaches, such as gene knock-in and gene therapy, and is a central topic in population genetics and evolutionary biology.