A practical reference for studying meiosis in the model ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila  

作　　者：Miao Tian Xia Cai Yujie Liu Mingmei Liucong Rachel Howard-Till 

机构地区：[1]Institute of Evolution&Marine Biodiversity,Ocean University of China,Qingdao,266003,China [2]Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology,Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology,Qingdao,266237,China [3]Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology,University of California Davis,Davis,CA,USA [4]Institute of Human Genetics,CNRS,University of Montpellier,34090,Montpellier,France

出　　处：《Marine Life Science & Technology》2022年第4期595-608,共14页海洋生命科学与技术（英文）

基　　金：Funds for the Central Universities(No.202241003,to Dr.Miao Tian);the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(ZR2022JQ13,to Dr.Miao Tian);by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement(No.101024333);Dr.Rachel Howard-Till is supported by NIH RO1GM127571.

摘　　要：Meiosis is a critical cell division program that produces haploid gametes for sexual reproduction.Abnormalities in meiosis are often causes of infertility and birth defects(e.g.,Down syndrome).Most organisms use a highly specialized zipper-like protein complex,the synaptonemal complex(SC),to guide and stabilize pairing of homologous chromosomes in meiosis.Although the SC is critical for meiosis in many eukaryotes,there are organisms that perform meiosis without a functional SC.However,such SC-less meiosis is poorly characterized.To understand the features of SC-less meiosis and its adaptive significance,the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena was selected as a model.Meiosis research in Tetrahymena has revealed intriguing aspects of the regulatory programs utilized in its SC-less meiosis,yet additional efforts are needed for obtaining an in-depth comprehension of mechanisms that are associated with the absence of SC.Here,aiming at promoting a wider application of Tetrahymena for meiosis research,we introduce basic concepts and core techniques for studying meiosis in Tetrahymena and then suggest future directions for expanding the current Tetrahymena meiosis research toolbox.These methodologies could be adopted for dissecting meiosis in poorly characterized ciliates that might reveal novel features.Such data will hopefully provide insights into the function of the SC and the evolution of meiosis from a unique perspective.

关 键 词：MEIOSIS CILIATE TETRAHYMENA Synaptonemal complex CYTOGENETICS 

分 类 号：Q75[生物学—分子生物学]