Nematode proteins shed light on infertility

In a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, University of Utah (the U) biologists have developed a method for illuminating the intricate interactions of the synaptonemal complex in the ...

High-end microscopy refined: ExM

The synaptonemal complex is a ladder-like cell structure that plays a major role in the development of egg and sperm cells in humans and other mammals. "The structure of this complex has hardly been changed in evolution, ...

X marks the spot: recombination in structurally distinct chromosomes

Two years ago, scientists from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research reported the 3-D structure of the synaptonemal complex in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. This large protein complex is a critical player in ...

Pairing up: How chromosomes find each other

After more than a century of study, mysteries still remain about the process of meiosis -- a special type of cell division that helps insure genetic diversity in sexually-reproducing organisms. Now, researchers at Stowers ...

Landmark study sheds new light on human chromosomal birth defects

Using yeast genetics and a novel scheme to selectively remove a single protein from the cell division process called meiosis, a cell biologist at The Florida State University found that when a key molecular player known as ...