SFB Meiosis: Repeat instability in an artificial construct at yeast recombination hotspots
Sprache der Bezeichnung:
Englisch
Original Kurzfassung:
A question of central importance in biology is how meiosis generates haploid gametes from diploid precursor cells. In most organisms, this is achieved by one round of DNA replication followed by the sequential segregation of homologous chromosomes (meiosis I) and sister chromatids (meiosis II). To accomplish this complex task, cells utilize general as well as specialized molecular pathways that are fundamentally different from those that drive the mitotic division of somatic cells.
Despite significant progress in recent years, we remain far from having a comprehensive molecular understanding of the processes that drive the formation of healthy gametes. This proposal has two overarching inter-connected goals. First, we aim to understand the basic mechanisms that support meiotic genome haploidization in eukaryotes. In particular, we will investigate how cells implement alignment of parental homologous chromosomes, chromosome breakage, crossover recombination and kinetochore function in preparation for meiosis I. Second, we aim to delineate the mechanisms by which meiosis is ?repurposed? for asexual reproduction in parthenogenetic organisms. We will employ a combination of cell biology, biochemistry, structural biology and computational biology approaches to study meiosis, or in some cases its evolutionary derivative, in yeast, nematode worms, plants, crustaceans and vertebrates.
This is a joint initiative of C. Campbell, A. Dammermann, V. Jantsch, F. Klein, J. Matos and P. Schlögelhofer (University of Vienna / Max Perutz Labs), A. Goloborodko (IMBA), I. Tiemann-Boege (JKU Linz), and B. Vicoso (IST Austria).
Sprache der Kurzfassung:
Englisch
Englische Bezeichnung:
SFB Meiosis: Repeat instability in an artificial construct at yeast recombination hotspots
Forschungs-