# Homologous Chromosome Pairing in Meiosis

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2020 · $482,798

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Chromosome abnormalities due to meiotic errors are a leading cause of birth defects and spontaneous
abortions in humans. The long-term objective of this work is to elucidate the mechanisms of meiotic pairing and
to understand how these mechanisms help to ensure the fidelity of chromosome transmission from one
generation to the next. While the events of meiosis are well conserved across species, their execution
accommodates nuclear volumes and genome sizes that vary by several orders of magnitude. Our aims
address the hypothesis that the 3D configurations of chromosomes are discrete, dynamic, and governed in
space and time to accommodate the changing nuclear structure/function requirements throughout the course
of meiotic prophase. This proposal builds on our recent discovery that a 125 amino acid region of the yeast
nucleoporin Nup2 is required for proper chromosome segregation in meiosis, independent of its role in
transport. We will determine how this meiotic autonomous region (MAR) functions in carrying out this role using
a variety of genetic and structure-based approaches. We also introduce zebrafish as a new genetic model
organism to study meiotic chromosome dynamics during oogenesis and spermatogenesis. Our finding so far
suggest that zebrafish may an excellent model for human male meiosis. Adult zebrafish produce gametes
throughout life, progeny number in the hundreds and embryos develop outside the body. We will determine
the spatial and temporal program of homolog pairing, DNA double-strand break formation and synapsis as it
relates to the canonical meiosis program in other species. Finally, we will apply a three-dimensional live-cell
imaging pipeline we created for budding yeast to measure interaction kinetics between homologous and
ectopic chromosomal loci in the two zebrafish sexes. Our results will lead to an understanding of how
environmental hazards increase the occurrence of chromosome-based birth defects and inherited disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9981756
- **Project number:** 5R01GM075119-13
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Sean M Burgess
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $482,798
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2006-08-01 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9981756

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9981756, Homologous Chromosome Pairing in Meiosis (5R01GM075119-13). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9981756. Licensed CC0.

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