A DNA topoisomerase VI–like complex initiates meiotic recombination

A partner protein for meiotic snip

Eukaryotes generate germ cells through meiotic recombination. This process initiates through breaks in genomic DNA catalyzed by the SPO11 protein. Vrielynck et al. and Robert et al. discover that SPO11, like topoisomerase VI enzymes, interacts with a partner protein (see the Perspective by Bouuaert and Keeney). This partner is required for proper meiotic recombination and is found in a wide range of eukaryotes, suggesting that it is a universal feature of the essential recombination step.

Science , this issue p. 939 , 943 ; see also p. 916