Recombination (biology)

In biology, recombination usually refers to genetic recombination and meiosis, a genetic event that occurs during the formation of sperm and egg cells. It is also referred to as crossing over or change of phase.

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In addition to its use in meiosis in eukaryotic cells, recombination is used to repair DNA double-strand breaks and to recover stalled DNA replication forks in Eukarya, Archaea, and Eubacteria. Recombination, then, like DNA replication, RNA transcription, and protein translation, is one of the most ancient cellular processes on Earth.