How does PRDM9 recognize the specific DNA motifs for meiotic recombination?
The PRDM9 gene encodes a protein with a highly variable tandem-repeat zinc finger (ZF) DNA-binding domain that plays a key role in determining sequence-specific hotspots of meiotic recombination genome wide. The long zinc finger domain of PRDM9 forms a highly stable and long-lived complex with its DNA recognition sequence.