Structured illumination microscopy imaging reveals localization of replication protein A between chromosome lateral elements during mammalian meiosis

Abstract

Cell division: Recombination in action Using very high resolution microscopy, Korean researchers are able to visualize meiosis, a two-step division process that ensures that each egg or sperm cell has a single set of chromosomes, in unprecedented detail. After DNA replication and before the first division cycle, pairs of chromosomes align to exchange genetic material, a process known as recombination. This process is facilitated by multi-protein structures called synaptonemal complexes (SCs) that hold the chromosomes together. Keun Kim and colleagues at Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea used structured illumination microscopy to observe SCs during meiosis in mouse sperm-forming cells. They found that the position of replication protein A, a key regulator of recombination, on the SC changes as recombination takes place. These findings suggest that RPA location on SCs could be used to monitor the progression of meiotic recombination.