Editing Repeated sequence (DNA) (section)

==Evolutionary emergence of meiosis==

The evolutionary origin of [[meiosis|meiotic]] [[sexual reproduction]] is regarded as a long-standing evolutionary enigma.<ref name = Colnaghi2022>{{cite journal |vauthors=Colnaghi M, Lane N, Pomiankowski A |title=Repeat sequences limit the effectiveness of lateral gene transfer and favored the evolution of meiotic sex in early eukaryotes |journal=Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A |volume=119 |issue=35 |pages=e2205041119 |date=August 2022 |pmid=35994648 |pmc=9436333 |doi=10.1073/pnas.2205041119 |url=}}</ref>  In [[prokaryote]]s, [[horizontal gene transfer|lateral gene transfer]] emerged as an early evolved form of sexual interaction.  However, repeat sequences in prokaryotic DNA limit the effectiveness of lateral gene transfer at purging deleterious [[mutation]]s,<ref name = Colnaghi2022/> as well as limiting the accurate repair of [[DNA damage (naturally occurring)|DNA damages]] by [[homologous recombination]]. Colnoghi et al.<ref name = Colnaghi2022/> proposed that such constraints on the beneficial effects of sexual interaction in prokaryotes favored the evolution of meiotic sex and thus the emergence of [[eukaryote]]s.  It was concluded that the transition to homologous pairing along linear chromosomes that occurs during meiosis was the crucial innovation in meiotic sexual reproduction, and this innovation was instrumental in the evolutionary expansion of eukaryotic genomes that facilitated increased functional and morphological complexity.<ref name = Colnaghi2022/>