The enzyme recombinase is required in which stage of meiosis ?

Options

A. Diakinesis
B. Pachytene
C. Zygotene
D. Diplotene

Answer

To determine the stage of meiosis in which the enzyme recombinase is required, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Meiosis**:
- Meiosis is a type of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half, resulting in four haploid cells from one diploid cell. It consists of two main stages: meiosis I and meiosis II.

2. **Identifying Prophase I**:
- Meiosis I is subdivided into several stages, and the first phase of meiosis I is called prophase I. Prophase I is crucial because it is during this phase that homologous chromosomes pair up and exchange genetic material.

3. **Stages of Prophase I**:
- Prophase I is further divided into five stages:
- Leptotene
- Zygotene
- Pachytene
- Diplotene
- Diakinesis

4. **Role of Recombinase**:
- The enzyme recombinase is essential for the process of genetic recombination, which occurs during the pairing of homologous chromosomes. This process is known as crossing over.

5. **Locating Crossing Over**:
- Crossing over, facilitated by recombinase, specifically occurs during the pachytene stage of prophase I. This is when homologous chromosomes are closely aligned and exchange segments of their genetic material.

6. **Conclusion**:
- Therefore, the enzyme recombinase is required during the **pachytene stage** of meiosis.

### Final Answer:
The enzyme recombinase is required in the **pachytene stage** of meiosis.

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