Complex recombination events at the hypermutable minisatellite CEB1 (D2S90)

Abstract

Some minisatellite structures are the site of high rates of DNA recombination in non-pathological situations, with an excess of motif insertion events and a locus-dependent sex-specific mutation bias. We previously reported the cloning of the hypermutable minisatellite locus CEB1 (D2S90), remarkable for its 13% mutation rate in the male germline (compared to ~0.4% in female). We have sought to analyse the mechanisms underlying the addition or deletion of motifs at this locus using the minisatellite variant repeat mapping technique. This is possible with a high precision due to the extreme sequence polymorphism seen between different motifs. No crossing-over event was observed among 38 informative neomutations. Four of the 19 informative mutant alleles with an addition of motifs are inter-allelic events, the others are intra-allelic. Overall, the insertion and deletion mutations are spread along the alleles, although the subset of inter-allelic events shows clustering towards the analysed end. The apparently complex recombination events observed can all be interpreted as a succession of elementary duplications-deletions of inter- as well as intra-chromosomal origin, suggesting a model in which sister chromatid as well as conversion-like exchanges are involved in these mutation processes.