Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology 2000
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington USA
July 2000

Name: White, Eric
Mailing Address: Micro. & Molecular Genetics, UMDNJ-Grad. Sch. Biomed. Sci., 185 South Orange Ave, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
Email Address: whiteer@umdnj.edu
Phone & FAX numbers: (973) 972-4192 & (973) 972-3644

#035

In vivo analysis of synaptonemal complex formation during yeast meiosis.
Eric White (1), Carrie Cowan (2), W. Zacheus Cande (2), David B. Kaback (3)
(1) Micro. & Molecular Genetics, UMDNJ-Grad. Sch. Biomed. Sci., 185 South Orange Ave, Newark, NJ 07103, USA; (2) Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720; (3) Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103

Meiotic pachytene is marked by the appearance of the synaptonemal complex (SC), a tripartite structure believed to play a role in regulating pairing and recombination between homologous chromosome pairs. The ZIP1 gene encodes an essential protein of the central region of the SC. To study the dynamics of SC formation in living cells, a ZIP1-GFP fusion was constructed and used to replace the wild type ZIP1 gene in diploids. The fusion complemented a zip1 deletion to ~80% of wild type activity and produced normal appearing SC as judged by electron microscopy. Kinetics of SC formation and dissociation were in agreement with previous studies. Deconvolution light microscopy revealed that the SC was associated with the nuclear periphery. The SC was found to be asymmetrically distributed in some nuclei, suggesting a morphologically distinct substage of pachytene. The effects of several meiotic mutants on SC formation will be discussed.

Return to YGM 2000 Abstract Index