The organization, regulation, and biological functions of the synaptonemal complex.
- Author:
Feng-Guo ZHANG
1
;
Rui-Rui ZHANG
1
;
Jin-Min GAO
1
Author Information
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords: chromosome axis; chromosome segregation; crossover; meiosis; meiotic recombination; reproduction; synapsis; synaptonemal complex
- MeSH: Animals; Chromosome Segregation; Meiosis/physiology*; Synaptonemal Complex/physiology*
- From: Asian Journal of Andrology 2021;23(6):580-589
- CountryChina
- Language:English
- Abstract: The synaptonemal complex (SC) is a meiosis-specific proteinaceous macromolecular structure that assembles between paired homologous chromosomes during meiosis in various eukaryotes. The SC has a highly conserved ultrastructure and plays critical roles in controlling multiple steps in meiotic recombination and crossover formation, ensuring accurate meiotic chromosome segregation. Recent studies in different organisms, facilitated by advances in super-resolution microscopy, have provided insights into the macromolecular structure of the SC, including the internal organization of the meiotic chromosome axis and SC central region, the regulatory pathways that control SC assembly and dynamics, and the biological functions exerted by the SC and its substructures. This review summarizes recent discoveries about how the SC is organized and regulated that help to explain the biological functions associated with this meiosis-specific structure.
