This article is an overview of the author's involvement in theoretical and experimental research on genetic recombination and DNA repair, and also on the enzymic modification of cytosine in DNA to 5-methyl cytosine. It includes the history of the discovery of the central intermediate in genetic recombination at the DNA level, and the repair of mismatched bases. These explain the major features of genetic fine structure. The first repair and recombination defective mutants in any eukaryote were isolated in the smut fungus Ustilago maydis. The hypothesis that DNA methylation has a role in gene expression in higher organism is now supported by abundant evidence. Direct evidence that gene silencing in mammalian cells is causally related to DNA methylation has been obtained.

中文翻译：

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DNA的重组，修复和修饰。

本文概述了作者参与的有关基因重组和DNA修复的理论和实验研究，以及将DNA中的胞嘧啶酶修饰为5-甲基胞嘧啶的理论综述。它包括在DNA水平上发现基因重组中央中间物的历史以及错配碱基的修复。这些解释了遗传精细结构的主要特征。在任何真核生物中的第一个修复和重组缺陷突变体均在黑穗病菌乌头菌中分离。DNA甲基化在高等生物中的基因表达中起作用的假说现已得到大量证据的支持。已获得直接证据表明哺乳动物细胞中的基因沉默与DNA甲基化有因果关系。