Holliday junction-ZMM protein feedback enables meiotic crossover assurance.

ABSTRACT: Holliday junctions (HJs) are branched four-way DNA structures that link recombining chromosomes during double-strand break repair¹. Despite posing a risk to chromosome segregation, HJs accumulate during meiotic prophase I as intermediates in the process of crossing-over^2,3. Whether HJs have additional regulatory functions remains unclear. Here we establish an experimental system in budding yeast that enables conditional nucleolytic resolution of HJs after the establishment of meiotic chromosome synapsis. We find that HJ resolution triggers complete disassembly of the synaptonemal complex without disrupting the axis-loop organization of chromosomes. Mechanistically, HJs mediate the continued association of ZMM proteins with recombination nodules that form at the axes i

SUBMITTER: Henggeler A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12630000 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature