Katanin, kinesin-13, and ataxin-2 inhibit premature interaction between maternal and paternal genomes in zygotes.

Fertilization occurs before the completion of oocyte meiosis in the majority of animal species and sperm contents move long distances within the zygotes of mouse and . If incorporated into the meiotic spindle, paternal chromosomes could be expelled into a polar body resulting in lethal monosomy. Through live imaging of fertilization in , we found that the microtubule disassembling enzymes, katanin and kinesin-13 limit long-range movement of sperm contents and that maternal ataxin-2 maintains paternal DNA and paternal mitochondria as a cohesive unit that moves together.

Katanin, kinesin-13 and ataxin-2 inhibit premature interaction between maternal and paternal genomes in zygotes.

Fertilization occurs before completion of oocyte meiosis in the majority of animal species and sperm contents move long distances within zygotes of mouse and . If incorporated into the meiotic spindle, paternal chromosomes could be expelled into a polar body resulting in lethal monosomy. Through live imaging of fertilization in , we found that the microtubule disassembling enzymes, katanin and kinesin-13 limit long range movement of sperm contents and that maternal ataxin-2 maintains paternal DNA and paternal mitochondria as a cohesive unit that moves together.

Cohesin is required for meiotic spindle assembly independent of its role in cohesion in C. elegans.

Accurate chromosome segregation requires a cohesin-mediated physical attachment between chromosomes that are to be segregated apart, and a bipolar spindle with microtubule plus ends emanating from exactly two poles toward the paired chromosomes. We asked whether the striking bipolar structure of C. elegans meiotic chromosomes is required for bipolarity of acentriolar female meiotic spindles by time-lapse imaging of mutants that lack cohesion between chromosomes.