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Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Chromatin Spread Preparations for the Analysis of Mouse Oocyte Progression from Prophase to Metaphase II
Published on: February 26, 2018
Initiation of homologous chromosome pairing during meiosis
1Institute of Cell Biology, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, Edinburgh EH93JR, UK. philip.jordan@univie.ac.at
Abstract:
Following pre-meiotic DNA replication, homologous chromosomes must be paired and become tightly linked to ensure reductional segregation during meiosis I. Therefore initiation of homologous chromosome pairing is vital for meiosis to proceed correctly. A number of factors contribute to the initiation of homologous chromosome pairing including telomere and centromere dynamics, pairing centres, checkpoint proteins and components of the axial element. The present review briefly summarizes recent progress in our understanding of initiation of homologous chromosome pairing during meiosis and discusses the differences that are observed between research organisms.
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