|
|
|
|
A more recent version of this article appeared on March 1, 2005
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Submitted on September 2, 2004
Revised on December 10, 2004
Accepted on December 21, 2004
*Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and
Boulder Laboratory for 3D Fine Structure, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309-0347
Monitoring Editor: Ted Salmon
Meiotic chromosome segregation leads to the production of haploid germ cells. During meiosis I (MI) the paired homologous chromosomes are separated. Meiosis II (MII) segregation leads to the separation of paired sister chromatids. In the budding yeast, S. cerevisiae, both of these divisions take place in a single nucleus, giving rise to the four spored ascus. We have modeled the microtubules in 20 MI and 15 MII spindles using reconstruction from electron micrographs of serially sectioned meiotic cells. Meiotic spindles contain more microtubules than their mitotic counterparts, with the highest number in MI spindles. It is possible to differentiate between MI versus MII spindles based on microtubule numbers and organization. Similar to mitotic spindles, kinetochores in either MI or MII are attached by a single microtubule. The models indicate that the kinetochores of paired homologous chromosomes in MI or sister chromatids in MII are separated at metaphase, similar to mitotic cells. Examination of both MI and MII spindles reveals that anaphase A likely occurs in addition to anaphase B, and that these movements are concurrent. This analysis offers a structural basis for considering meiotic segregation in yeast and for the analysis of mutants defective in this process.
Present address: Department of Microbiology, Harvard Medical School, Armenise D-219, 200 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA 02115.
Corresponding author.
E-mail: Mark.Winey{at}Colorado.edu
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
R. Rahal and A. Amon Mitotic CDKs control the metaphase-anaphase transition and trigger spindle elongation Genes & Dev., June 1, 2008; 22(11): 1534 - 1548. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||