Meiosis is the key process for sexual reproduction of most eukaryotes. After a single round DNA replication followed with two successive rounds of cell divisions, the diploid cells produce haploid gametes which contain one-half of the number of chromosomes as the original cell. This process ensures fertility, generates natural variation and provides the mechanistic basis for the rules of inheritance. Defects in meiosis are responsible for primary sterility, miscarriage, and congenital disorders. Thus, understanding the fundamental mechanism underlying meiosis regulation is not only very important to infertility diagnose, chromosomal birth defects prevention, but also essential to the development of new strategies for improving animal breeding and crop production.
Due to lack of in vitro meiosis system in multicellular eukaryotes, the understanding of this unique cell cycle is a challenge for a long time. With the development of new technologies, such as gene editing, time-lapse and super-resolution imaging, single cell sequencing, multi-omics and other cutting-edge technologies, our knowledge about meiosis is rapidly expanding recently. For example, several new features of mammalian meiotic recombination and its regulation have been discovered recently, including per-nucleus crossover covariation among different chromosomes, factors influencing a DSB to be repaired as a crossover or non-crossover and reasons for exceptionally high frequency of human aneuploidies. The goal of this Research Topic is to consolidate our understanding meiosis in a broad range of eukaryotic species.
This Research Topic aims to provide a fundamental presentation of the current status of our understanding on the molecular mechanisms involved in all processes of meiosis from yeast to human being. We welcome the submission of Original Research, Methods, Review and Mini-Review articles that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:
• Meiosis initiation
• Meiotic recombination
• Pachytene check point
• Chromosomal paring and synapsis
• Meiosis exit
• Meiotic defect related infertility and sterility
• Birth defects from meiotic errors
• New models for meiotic studies
• New technologies for meiotic studies
Meiosis is the key process for sexual reproduction of most eukaryotes. After a single round DNA replication followed with two successive rounds of cell divisions, the diploid cells produce haploid gametes which contain one-half of the number of chromosomes as the original cell. This process ensures fertility, generates natural variation and provides the mechanistic basis for the rules of inheritance. Defects in meiosis are responsible for primary sterility, miscarriage, and congenital disorders. Thus, understanding the fundamental mechanism underlying meiosis regulation is not only very important to infertility diagnose, chromosomal birth defects prevention, but also essential to the development of new strategies for improving animal breeding and crop production.
Due to lack of in vitro meiosis system in multicellular eukaryotes, the understanding of this unique cell cycle is a challenge for a long time. With the development of new technologies, such as gene editing, time-lapse and super-resolution imaging, single cell sequencing, multi-omics and other cutting-edge technologies, our knowledge about meiosis is rapidly expanding recently. For example, several new features of mammalian meiotic recombination and its regulation have been discovered recently, including per-nucleus crossover covariation among different chromosomes, factors influencing a DSB to be repaired as a crossover or non-crossover and reasons for exceptionally high frequency of human aneuploidies. The goal of this Research Topic is to consolidate our understanding meiosis in a broad range of eukaryotic species.
This Research Topic aims to provide a fundamental presentation of the current status of our understanding on the molecular mechanisms involved in all processes of meiosis from yeast to human being. We welcome the submission of Original Research, Methods, Review and Mini-Review articles that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:
• Meiosis initiation
• Meiotic recombination
• Pachytene check point
• Chromosomal paring and synapsis
• Meiosis exit
• Meiotic defect related infertility and sterility
• Birth defects from meiotic errors
• New models for meiotic studies
• New technologies for meiotic studies