Editing Genetic recombination (section)

==Mechanism==
Genetic recombination is [[catalysis|catalyzed]] by many different [[enzyme]]s. [[Recombinase]]s are key enzymes that catalyse the strand transfer step during recombination. [[RecA]], the chief recombinase found in ''[[Escherichia coli]]'', is responsible for the repair of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). In yeast and other eukaryotic organisms there are two recombinases required for repairing DSBs. The [[RAD51]] protein is required for [[Mitosis|mitotic]] and [[Meiosis|meiotic]] recombination, whereas the DNA repair protein, [[DMC1 (gene)|DMC1]], is specific to meiotic recombination. In the archaea, the [[Homology (biology)#Orthology|ortholog]] of the bacterial RecA protein is RadA.

===Bacterial recombination===
{{Main|Bacterial recombination}}
[[Bacteria]] regularly undergo genetic recombination in three main ways:
* [[Transformation (genetics)|Transformation]], the uptake of exogenous DNA from the surrounding environment.
* [[Transduction (genetics)|Transduction]], the virus-mediated transfer of DNA between bacteria.
* [[Bacterial conjugation|Conjugation]], the transfer of DNA from one bacterium to another via cell-to-cell contact.<ref name="Bajrović">{{Cite book | veditors = Bajrović K, Jevrić-Čaušević A, Hadžiselimović R |title=Uvod u genetičko inženjerstvo i biotehnologiju|publisher=Institut za genetičko inženjerstvo i biotehnologiju (INGEB) Sarajevo|year=2005|isbn= 9958-9344-1-8}}</ref><ref name="AlbertsRevised">{{cite book | vauthors = Alberts B, Johnson A, Lewis J, Raff M, Roberts K |year=2002|title= Molecular Biology of the Cell|edition= 4th|publisher= Garland Science|isbn=0-8153-4072-9}}</ref><ref name="king">{{cite book| vauthors = King RC, Stransfield WD |year=1998 |title=Dictionary of genetics| url = https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofgene0000king | url-access = registration |publisher=Oxford University Press|place= New York, Oxford|isbn=0-19-50944-1-7}}</ref><ref name="RM">{{cite book| vauthors = Rieger RM, Green MM |year=1976|title=Glossary of genetics and cytogenetics: Classical and molecular| url = https://archive.org/details/glossaryofgeneti0000rieg | url-access = registration |publisher=Springer-Verlag| location = Heidelberg - New York|isbn= 3-540-07668-9}}</ref>

Sometimes a strand of DNA is transferred into the target cell but fails to be copied as the target divides. This is called an [[abortive transfer]].