Prophase I: Preparing Chromosomes for Segregation in the Developing Oocyte.

Results Probl Cell Differ

Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.

Published: June 2017

AI Article Synopsis

  • * Key processes in prophase I include crossover formation and sister chromatid cohesion, which link homologous chromosomes and are essential for accurate chromosome segregation.
  • * Errors in these processes can lead to missegregation of chromosomes, with increased risk as maternal age rises, potentially contributing to higher rates of aneuploidy in older oocytes.

Article Abstract

Formation of an oocyte involves a specialized cell division termed meiosis. In meiotic prophase I (the initial stage of meiosis), chromosomes undergo elaborate events to ensure the proper segregation of their chromosomes into gametes. These events include processes leading to the formation of a crossover that, along with sister chromatid cohesion, forms the physical link between homologous chromosomes. Crossovers are formed as an outcome of recombination. This process initiates with programmed double-strand breaks that are repaired through the use of homologous chromosomes as a repair template. The accurate repair to form crossovers takes place in the context of the synaptonemal complex, a protein complex that links homologous chromosomes in meiotic prophase I. To allow proper execution of meiotic prophase I events, signaling processes connect different steps in recombination and synapsis. The events occurring in meiotic prophase I are a prerequisite for proper chromosome segregation in the meiotic divisions. When these processes go awry, chromosomes missegregate. These meiotic errors are thought to increase with aging and may contribute to the increase in aneuploidy observed in advanced maternal age female oocytes.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44820-6_5DOI Listing

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