“Cytoskeleton plays a critical role to bring chromosome pairs together: Study”

Meiosis in the News:

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20091116/Cytoskeleton-plays-a-critical-role-to-bring-chromosome-pairs-together-Study.aspx

- Scientists finally discovered what made the chromosomes pair together the way they did.

- “[…] the cell's cytoskeleton, which moves things around in the cell, plays a critical role, essentially reaching into the nucleus to bring chromosome pairs together in preparation for recombination and segregation.”

- The cytoplasm helps the chromosomes to pair together and make sure they are matched correctly.

- “To stabilize the chromosome pairs, protein links form along the length of the homologs, like a zipper. Called the synaptonemal complex, this zipper seems necessary to allow the homologues to break and recombine, thereby exchanging a set of genes between Mom and Dad before sending the chromosomes into the world aboard egg or sperm.”

- This discovery could help scientists to find a prevention to diseases like down syndrome.

Reflection:

I chose this article because I did not really understand how chromosomes were brought together and I thought this article could clear it up for me. I thought it was interesting that they were just know discovering how chromosomes were paired together and what part of the cell did that. I always assume they know everything about meiosis and mitosis when really, they still have a lot to discover.