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Updated: Jul 21, 2026

Chromatin Spread Preparations for the Analysis of Mouse Oocyte Progression from Prophase to Metaphase II
Published on: February 26, 2018
Holding chromatids together to ensure they go their separate ways
1Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Abstract:
Association between sister chromatids is essential for their attachment and segregation to opposite poles of the spindle in mitosis and meiosis II. Sister-chromatid cohesion is also likely to be involved in linking homologous chromosomes together in meiosis I. Cytological observations provide evidence that attachment between sister chromatids is different in meiosis and mitosis and suggest that cohesion between the chromatid arms may differ mechanistically from that at the centromere. The physical nature of cohesion is addressed, and proteins that are candidates for holding sister chromatids together are discussed. Dissolution of sister-chromatid cohesion must be regulated precisely, and potential mechanisms to release cohesion are presented.
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