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Updated: Jan 17, 2026

Frequency and Distribution of Crossovers in Caenorhabditis elegans Meiosis by SNP Genotyping using Real-time PCR
Published on: July 11, 2025
Sexually dimorphic control of crossover distribution by the conserved ATPase PCH-2 in C. elegans
Alberto Herrera1, Bianca Pacheco1, Bhumil Patel1
1Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States.
Abstract:
Meiotic crossover recombination is essential for accurate chromosome segregation and the creation of new allele combinations that drive natural selection during evolution. Thus, the number and distribution of crossovers is exquisitely controlled. We have shown that the pachytene checkpoint component and conserved AAA-ATPase PCH-2 controls crossover number and distribution during oogenesis in C. elegans . To test if PCH-2 has similar effects during spermatogenesis, we monitored recombination across a single chromosome in control and pch-2 mutant males. Our results demonstrate that PCH-2 's effect on crossover distribution during spermatogenesis is different than we observed in oogenesis, exhibiting sexual dimorphism.
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