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PMID: 17674151 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Review

Meiotic silencing and the epigenetics of sex.

Chromosome research : an international journal on the molecular, supramolecular and evolutionary aspects of chromosome biology ·Vol. 15 ·No. 5 ·2007-00-00 ·Pages 633-51

Kelly WG, Aramayo R

Abstract

The sensing of accurate homologous recognition and pairing between discreet chromosomal regions and/or entire chromosomes entering meiosis is an essential step in ensuring correct alignment for recombination. A component of this is the recognition of heterology, which is required to prevent recombination at ectopic sites and between non-homologous chromosomes. It has been observed that a number of diverged organisms add an additional layer to this process: regions or chromosomes without a homologous counterpart are targeted for silencing during meiotic prophase I. This phenomenon was originally described in filamentous fungi, but has since been observed in nematodes and mammals. In this review we will generally group these phenomena under the title of meiotic silencing, and describe what is known about the process in the organisms in which it is observed. We will additionally propose that the functions of meiotic silencing originate in genome defense, and discuss its potential contributions to genome evolution and speciation.

MeSH Terms
Animals Biological Evolution Caenorhabditis elegans/genetics Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly Chromosome Pairing Drosophila/genetics Epigenesis, Genetic Female Gene Silencing Genomic Imprinting Male Mammals/genetics Meiosis/genetics Models, Genetic Neurospora crassa/genetics RNA Interference Recombination, Genetic X Chromosome/genetics X Chromosome Inactivation
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Kelly William G
Biology Department, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA. bkelly@emory.edu
Aramayo Rodolfo
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Article Info
Journal
Chromosome research : an international journal on the molecular, supramolecular and evolutionary aspects of chromosome biology
Abbr.
Chromosome Res
ISSN
0967-3849
DOI
10.1007/s10577-007-1143-0
Email
bkelly@emory.edu
Published
2007-00-00
Pages
633-51
Language
English
Region
Netherlands
NLM ID
9313452
PMCID
PMC4090689
Subset
IM
Grants
NIGMS NIH HHS · R01 GM058770 · United States
NIGMS NIH HHS · R01 GM063102 · United States
NIGMS NIH HHS · GM58770 · United States
NIGMS NIH HHS · GM63102 · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1007/s10577-007-1143-0 PMC Full Text View journal details
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