DNA is the strand that connects generations of life. It contains the information needed for all phases of life, and that information needs to be faithfully passed on to the off-springs for the specie to continue. In multiple organisms, this information is divided into chromosomes, and each of these chromosomes need to be copied and separated equally during germ cell formation. Any disturbance in the logistics of chromosome separation can leave one of the two daughter cells with less or more material, which can be detrimental.
How does the cell ensure proper logistics during the process? How does it know when the separation process has started and when each and every chromosome has been successfully separated? It's not a simple counting process since the number of chromosome differs between species, with humans having 23 sets, but our close relatives, chimpanzees and ape have 24 pairs. How does the cell adapt to this diversity. Tyler, Rana, Judith and colleagues ask this question and find a very interesting mechanism guiding the process. They find a surveillance mechanism that starts as soon as the first chromosome starts information exchange, and lasts until the last one finishes, thereby ensuring that the process only proceed after its faithful completion. To understand the details, please listen to the interview with Judith.
To know more about the work, please read the following article:
A Surveillance System Ensures Crossover Formation in C. elegans
Tyler and Rana et al., Current Biology, 2016
How does the cell ensure proper logistics during the process? How does it know when the separation process has started and when each and every chromosome has been successfully separated? It's not a simple counting process since the number of chromosome differs between species, with humans having 23 sets, but our close relatives, chimpanzees and ape have 24 pairs. How does the cell adapt to this diversity. Tyler, Rana, Judith and colleagues ask this question and find a very interesting mechanism guiding the process. They find a surveillance mechanism that starts as soon as the first chromosome starts information exchange, and lasts until the last one finishes, thereby ensuring that the process only proceed after its faithful completion. To understand the details, please listen to the interview with Judith.
To know more about the work, please read the following article:
A Surveillance System Ensures Crossover Formation in C. elegans
Tyler and Rana et al., Current Biology, 2016
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