Chromosome Ends in Motion: Telomeres as Hazards and Hubs in Meiosis

Beyond their well-known roles in chromosome end protection, telomeres play critical roles in ensuring the fidelity of meiosis, the specialized cell division underlying sexual reproduction. Central to this process is the conserved telomere bouquet, a polarized nuclear arrangement in which telomeres cluster beneath the centrosome. The telomere bouquet orchestrates movements of meiotic chromosomes that facilitate pairing and recombination between homologous chromosomes, the defining events of meiosis. Here, we review both this canonical function and newly discovered meiotic telomere functions. We focus on three species-fission yeast, budding yeast, and mouse-that highlight both general principles and novel insights likely to be broadly applicable across eukaryotes. We propose that these diverse telomere functions provided early eukaryotes with a powerful adaptive advantage, contributing to the evolutionary success of linear chromosomes.