Mug20, a novel protein associated with linear elements in fission yeast meiosis.

In the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, homologous chromosomes efficiently pair and recombine during meiotic prophase without forming a canonical synaptonemal complex (SC). Instead, it features simpler filamentous structures, the so-called linear elements (LinEs), which bear some resemblance to the axial/lateral element subunits of the SC. LinEs are required for wild-type recombination frequency.

SUMOylation is required for normal development of linear elements and wild-type meiotic recombination in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

In the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, synaptonemal complexes (SCs) are not formed during meiotic prophase. However, structures resembling the axial elements of SCs, the so-called linear elements (LinEs) appear. By in situ immunostaining, we found Pmt3 (S.