Meiotic errors activate checkpoints that improve gamete quality without triggering apoptosis in male germ cells.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Meiotic checkpoints ensure the production of gametes with the correct complement and integrity of DNA; in metazoans, these pathways sense errors and transduce signals to trigger apoptosis to eliminate damaged germ cells. The extent to which checkpoints monitor and safeguard the genome differs between sexes and may contribute to the high frequency of human female meiotic errors. In the C. elegans female germline, DNA damage, chromosome asynapsis, and/or unrepaired meiotic double-strand breaks (DSBs) activate checkpoints that induce apoptosis; conversely, male germ cells do not undergo apoptosis.

Results

Here we show that the recombination checkpoint is in fact activated in male germ cells despite the lack of apoptosis. The 9-1-1 complex and the phosphatidylinositol

SUBMITTER: Jaramillo-Lambert A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3005853 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature