The process of meiosis enables the generation of genetic diversity. Intrinsic to this process is meiotic homologous recombination. Studies to date indicate the greatest part of meiotic recombination is initiated at a limited number of recombinational "hotspots". In this study we demonstrate that the Schizosaccharomyces pombe meiotic recombination mutant rec20-144 is an allele of rec10+ and that Rec10 is a component of linear elements. We also determine that a function(s) of Rec10 which is lost in the rec20-144 mutant is required for the full activation of certain M26 heptamer-containing recombination hotspots and that this function(s) can be suppressed by a single alteration to the nucleotide context within which an M26 heptamer is embedded. This demonstrates that the chromosomal context within which a cis-activating hotspot element is embedded influences whether some factors are required for full hotspot activation. Finally, as we demonstrate that Reel O shares structural similarities to S. cerevisiae Red1 and has weak amino acid homology to Red1 and C. elegans XNP1 a possibility exists that this modulation of hotspot activity may be conserved.