VISUALIZING HOMOLOGOUS RECOMBINATION WITH INTERACTIVE COMPUTER PROGRAM
Homologous recombination is important for DNA repair and for increasing genetic variation, whereby it enriches the gene pool and keeps populations viable. In eukaryotes, genetic recombination takes place during meiosis. For genes on different chromosomes, mixing of paternal and maternal genes is achieved through the random formation of different chromosome configurations at metaphase I of meiosis. This process accounts for the genetic principle of the independent assortment of unlinked genes. Recombination of paternal and maternal genes on different members of the homologous chromosome pair, on the other hand, can only be achieved through the exchange of genetic material between nonsister chromatids, resulting in increased genetic variation. The molecular mechanisms of homologous recombination are complicated and often difficult for students to understand. The objective of this research is to develop an interactive computer program for teaching this important biological process. The software program, along with related computer-based genetics learning programs — for mitosis and meiosis, as well as for a cytogenetics laboratory — will be useful for genetics education at the high school and university levels.