Understanding molecular mechanisms ensuring meiotic chromosome pairing and synapsis during meiotic prophase in meiocytes

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K18477
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Molecular biology
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Sato Aya 京都大学, 物質－細胞統合システム拠点, 特定研究員 (40595112)
• Research Collaborator: CARLTPN Peter 京都大学, 生命科学研究科, 准教授 (20571813)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 減数分裂 / 線虫 / シナプトネマタンパク質

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Accurate chromosome segregation in meiosis requires regulated two-step loss of cohesion between chromosomes to keep them together between the first and second meiotic divisions. While centromeres serve as the locus of cohesion retention in most organisms, the nematode C. elegans, which lacks single centromeres, has innovated special mechanisms to determine this locus de novo for each chromosome at each meiosis. We have shown that phosphorylation of the synaptonemal complex central element SYP-1 in early meiotic prophase is required for early steps in establishing the short and long arm distinction. Once crossovers are made, phosphorylated SYP-1 and its binding partner PLK-2 become asymmetrically localized to short arms. Our results show that PLK-2 bound to SYP-1 acts upstream of a mechanism that ensures confinement of the chromosome segregation machinery to the short arm subdomain and promotes correct segregation of chromosomes in meiosis I.

Free Research Field

染色体生物学