Solving a meiotic LEGO puzzle: transverse filaments and the assembly of the synaptonemal complex in Caenorhabditis elegans

The structure of the meiosis-specific synaptonemal complex, which is perhaps the central visible characteristic of meiotic prophase, has been a matter of intense interest for decades. Although a general picture of the interactions between the transverse filament proteins that create this structure h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Genetics (Austin) 2011-10, Vol.189 (2), p.405-409
Main Author: Hawley, R Scott
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Caenorhabditis elegans - metabolism
Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - metabolism
Meiosis
Proteins
Synaptonemal Complex - metabolism
Yeast
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Summary:The structure of the meiosis-specific synaptonemal complex, which is perhaps the central visible characteristic of meiotic prophase, has been a matter of intense interest for decades. Although a general picture of the interactions between the transverse filament proteins that create this structure has emerged from studies in a variety of organisms, a recent analysis of synaptonemal complex structure in Caenorhabditis elegans by Schild-Prüfert et al. (2011) has provided the clearest picture of the structure of the architecture of a synaptonemal complex to date. Although the transverse filaments of the worm synaptonemal complex are assembled differently then those observed in yeast, mammalian, and Drosophila synaptonemal complexes, a comparison of the four assemblies shows that achieving the overall basic structure of the synaptonemal complex is far more crucial than conserving the structures of the individual transverse filaments.
ISSN:1943-2631
0016-6731
1943-2631
DOI:10.1534/genetics.111.134197