The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe does not form tripartite synaptonemal complexes during meiotic prophase, but axial core-like structures (linear elements). To probe the relationship between meiotic recombination and the structure, pairing, and segregation of meiotic chromosomes, we genetically and cytologically characterized the rec8-110 mutant, which is partially deficient in meioti...

In all eukaryotes, the initiation of DNA replication is regulated by the ordered assembly of DNA/protein complexes on origins of DNA replication. In this report, we examine the role of Cdc6, a component of the prereplication complex, in the initiation of premeiotic DNA replication in budding yeast. We show that in the meiotic cycle, Cdc6 is required for DNA synthesis and sporulation. Moreover, ...

The study of homologous recombination has its historical roots in meiosis. In this context, recombination occurs as a programmed event that culminates in the formation of crossovers, which are essential for accurate chromosome segregation and create new combinations of parental alleles. Thus, meiotic recombination underlies both the independent assortment of parental chromosomes and genetic lin...

The meiotic cohesin Rec8 is required for the stepwise segregation of chromosomes during the two rounds of meiotic division. By directly measuring chromosome compaction in living cells of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we found an additional role for the meiotic cohesin in the compaction of chromosomes during meiotic prophase. In the absence of Rec8, chromosomes were decompacted re...

Xenopus oocytes are arrested in meiotic prophase I. Progesterone induces the resumption of meiotic maturation, which requires continuous protein synthesis to bring about Cdc2 activation. The identification of the newly synthesized proteins has long been a goal. Two plausible candidates have received extensive study. The synthesis of cyclin B and of c-Mos, a kinase that activates the mitogen-act...

Chromosome pairing is an essential meiotic event that ensures faithful haploidization and recombination of the genome. Pairing of homologous chromosomes is facilitated by telomere-led chromosome movements and formation of a meiotic bouquet, where telomeres cluster to one pole of the nucleus. In metazoans, telomere clustering is dynein and microtubule dependent and requires Sun1, an inner nuclea...

The genus Plantago of family Plantaginaceae includes about 483 species. These are small, annual or perennial herbaceous plants with various medicinal properties. The word Plantago is taken from the “planta” which means “sole of the foot”. The Plantago lagopus is a wild plant. The meiotic studies of Plantago lagopus plants revealed 12 chromosomes. The various stages of meiosis viz; Pachytene, Di...

Background: Maternal mRNA degradation is a selective process that occurs in waves corresponding to important developmental transitions such as resumption of meiosis, fertilization and zygotic genome activation. It has been demonstrated that the number, position, and combination of 3 UTR cis-acting elements interacting with trans-acting protein factors regulate translation and mRNA stability. Ou...

We demonstrate the involvement of suppressor of meiotic silencing-2 (sms-2(+)), a Neurospora gene coding for an Argonaute-like protein, in meiotic silencing and normal sexual development.