Sperm study finds gene conversion happens before meiosis
Researchers analyzed 2,382 non-crossover events in 15 sperm samples from 13 donors and found a type of gene conversion that does not match the usual meiotic recombination pattern, according to a study published in Nature on 29 January 2025. The events showed no link to meiotic double-strand break sites or the crossover recombination map. Instead, they correlated with genomic fragile sites. When the same analysis was applied to 12 blood samples, similar non-crossover gene conversions appeared, but very few crossover events. The findings suggest a substantial fraction of non-crossover gene conversion in sperm arises before meiosis. Variation between donors persisted even when PRDM9 genotypes were identical.
The discovery contradicts the longstanding view that gene conversion happens exclusively during meiosis.
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