Genetic recombination is the breaking and rejoining of DNA strands to form new molecules of DNA encoding a novel set of genetic information. Recombination can occur between similar molecules of DNA, as in the homologous recombination of chromosomal crossover, or dissimilar molecules, as in non-homologous end joining. V(D)J recombination in organisms with an adaptive immune system is a type of genetic recombination that helps immune cells rapidly diversify to recognize and adapt to new pathogens. Recombination is a common method of DNA repair in both bacteria and eukaryotes.
Read more about Genetic Recombination: Mechanism, Chromosomal Crossover, Gene Conversion, Nonhomologous Recombination, In B Cells, Genetic Engineering
Famous quotes containing the word genetic:
“Man is not merely the sum of his masks. Behind the shifting face of personality is a hard nugget of self, a genetic gift.... The self is malleable but elastic, snapping back to its original shape like a rubber band. Mental illness is no myth, as some have claimed. It is a disturbance in our sense of possession of a stable inner self that survives its personae.”
—Camille Paglia (b. 1947)