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Updated: Mar 26, 2026

Super-Resolution Microscopy of the Synaptonemal Complex Within the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline
Published on: September 13, 2022
A cohesin-based structural platform supporting homologous chromosome pairing in meiosis
Da-Qiao Ding1, Tokuko Haraguchi1,2, Yasushi Hiraoka3,4
1Advanced ICT Research Institute Kobe, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, 588-2 Iwaoka, Iwaoka-cho, Nishi-ku, Kobe, 651-2492, Japan.
Abstract:
The pairing and recombination of homologous chromosomes during the meiotic prophase is necessary for the accurate segregation of chromosomes in meiosis. However, the mechanism by which homologous chromosomes achieve this pairing has remained an open question. Meiotic cohesins have been shown to affect chromatin compaction; however, the impact of meiotic cohesins on homologous pairing and the fine structures of cohesion-based chromatin remain to be determined. A recent report using live-cell imaging and super-resolution microscopy demonstrated that the lack of meiotic cohesins alters the chromosome axis structures and impairs the pairing of homologous chromosomes. These results suggest that meiotic cohesin-based chromosome axis structures are crucial for the pairing of homologous chromosomes.
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