Recombination plays a crucial role in meiosis, ensuring the proper segregation of chromosomes. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) and sperm typing studies suggested that recombination rates vary tremendously across the human genome, with most events occurring in narrow hotspots (Coop et al., 2008).
To examine variation in fine-scale recombination patterns among individuals, Coop et al. (2008) used dense genomewide nucleotide polymorphism data collected in nuclear families to localize crossovers with high spatial resolution. This analysis revealed that overall recombination hotspot usage is similar in males and females, with individual hotspots often active in both sexes. Across the genome, roughly 60% of crossovers occurred in hotspots inferred from LD studies (on chromosomes 17, 19, 10, and 11). Notably, however, Coop et al. (2008) found extensive and heritable variation among both males and females in the proportion of crossovers occurring in these hotspots. [from
OMIM]