What does a higher recombination frequency imply about the genetic distance between two genes?

What does a higher recombination frequency imply about the genetic distance between two genes?

• A. The closer the genes are, the higher the recombination frequency.
• B. The closer the genes are, the lower the recombination frequency.
• C. No relation between recombination frequency and distance.
• D. Genes must be on different chromosomes.

Answer: (C)

Recombination frequency reflects how often crossing over happens between two gene loci during meiosis, and it tracks how far apart those genes are along the chromosome. When two genes are very close, a crossover between them is unlikely, so their recombination frequency is low. As the distance between them increases, there’s more opportunity for a crossover to occur between them, so the recombination frequency rises. For genes far apart on the same chromosome, or for genes on different chromosomes, recombination frequency can approach 50%. So, a higher recombination frequency means a greater genetic distance between the two genes.

Recombination frequency reflects how often crossing over happens between two gene loci during meiosis, and it tracks how far apart those genes are along the chromosome. When two genes are very close, a crossover between them is unlikely, so their recombination frequency is low. As the distance between them increases, there’s more opportunity for a crossover to occur between them, so the recombination frequency rises. For genes far apart on the same chromosome, or for genes on different chromosomes, recombination frequency can approach 50%. So, a higher recombination frequency means a greater genetic distance between the two genes.