Genome-wide mapping of meiotic DNA double-strand breaks in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) initiate meiotic recombination in eukaryotes. We describe two strategies that use microarrays to determine the genome-wide distribution of meiotic DSBs in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The first is a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) approach that targets the Spo11 protein, which remains covalently attached to DSB ends in certain mutant backgrounds. The second approach involves BND cellulose enrichment of the single-strand DNA (ssDNA) recombination intermediate formed by end-resection at DSB sites following Spo11 removal.