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Couples, pairs, and clusters: mechanisms and implications of centromere associations in meiosis

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Abstract

Observations of a wide range of organisms show that the centromeres form associations of pairs or small groups at different stages of meiotic prophase. Little is known about the functions or mechanisms of these associations, but in many cases, synaptonemal complex elements seem to play a fundamental role. Two main associations are observed: homology-independent associations very early in the meiotic program—sometimes referred to as centromere coupling—and a later association of homologous centromeres, referred to as centromere pairing or tethering. The later centromere pairing initiates during synaptonemal complex assembly, then persists after the dissolution of the synaptonemal complex. While the function of the homology-independent centromere coupling remains a mystery, centromere pairing appears to have a direct impact on the chromosome segregation fidelity of achiasmatic chromosomes. Recent work in yeast, Drosophila, and mice suggest that centromere pairing is a previously unappreciated, general meiotic feature that may promote meiotic segregation fidelity of the exchange and non-exchange chromosomes.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Scott Hawley and Emily Kurdzo for their comments on the manuscript. The authors acknowledge their colleagues in the Program of Cell Cycle and Cancer Biology for providing many thought-provoking discussions of centromere behavior in meiosis. RJP was supported by NIH NIGMS award 1P20GM103636 and by OCAST grant HR10-48S. DSD was supported by NIH NIGMS grant GM087377.

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  1. Program in Cell Cycle and Cancer Biology, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA

    David Obeso, Roberto J. Pezza & Dean Dawson

  2. Department of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA

    David Obeso, Roberto J. Pezza & Dean Dawson

  3. Stowers Institute for Medical Research, E. 50th Street, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA

    David Obeso

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Obeso, D., Pezza, R.J. & Dawson, D. Couples, pairs, and clusters: mechanisms and implications of centromere associations in meiosis. Chromosoma 123, 43–55 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00412-013-0439-4

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