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Updated: Mar 21, 2026

Super-Resolution Microscopy of the Synaptonemal Complex Within the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline
Published on: September 13, 2022
Regulating the construction and demolition of the synaptonemal complex
Cori K Cahoon1, R Scott Hawley1,2
1Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
Abstract:
The synaptonemal complex (SC) is a meiosis-specific scaffold that links homologous chromosomes from end to end during meiotic prophase and is required for the formation of meiotic crossovers. Assembly of SC components is regulated by a combination of associated nonstructural proteins and post-translational modifications, such as SUMOylation, which together coordinate the timing between homologous chromosome pairing, double-strand-break formation and recombination. In addition, transcriptional and translational control mechanisms ensure the timely disassembly of the SC after crossover resolution and before chromosome segregation at anaphase I.
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