Ectopic recombination is an atypical form of recombination in which a crossing over takes place between two homologous DNA sequences located at non-allelic chromosomal positions. Such recombination often results in dramatic chromosomal rearrangement, which is generally harmful to the organism. Some research, however, has suggested that ectopic recombination can result in mutated chromosomes that benefit the organism. Ectopic recombination can occur during both meiosis and mitosis, although it is more likely occur during meiosis. It occurs relatively frequently—in at least one yeast species (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) the frequency of ectopic recombination is roughly on par with that of allelic (or traditional) recombination. If the alleles at two loci are heterozygous, then ectopic recombination is relatively likely to occur, whereas if the alleles are homozygous, they will almost certainly undergo allelic recombination. Ectopic recombination does not require loci involved to be close to one another; it can occur between loci that are widely separated on a single chromosome, and has even been known to occur across chromosomes. Neither does it require high levels of homology between sequences—the lower limit required for it to occur has been estimated at as low as 2.2 kb of homologous stretches of DNA nucleotides.
In tobacco plant somatic cells, DNA double-strand break-induced recombination between ectopic homologous sequences appears to serve as a minor DNA repair pathway for double-strand breaks.
