Reproduction Abstracts

Gametogenesis is a complex process with striking sexual dimorphism. Although oogenesis and spermatogenesis share several global features (e.g., the production of haploid cells through meiotic divisions and extended periods of gamete maturation), the timing of events, their order and the propensity for errors during the process differ markedly. Our interest is in the factors – both endogenous (e.g., age) and endogenous (e.g., environmental exposures) – that influence ...

Fizzy-related 1 (FZR1) is one of two known activators of the anaphase promoting complex (APC) and a well-established important regulator of the mitotic cell cycle. In a germ-cell-specific (DDX4-cre) conditional knockout model we examined the role of FZR1 in germ cell development with particular emphasis on the entry into meiosis and early meiotic events. Loss of APC FZR1 activity in the male germline led to both a mitotic and a meiotic cell defect resulting in sterility throug...

Chromosomes must be properly segregated during meiosis to transmit the correct set of the parental genome into gametes. Incorrect chromosome segregation produces aneuploid gametes, fertilization of which results in pregnancy loss and congenital diseases such as Down syndrome. However, it is known that the frequency incorrect chromosome segregation is extremely high at meiosis I in oocytes (20–40% in humans), compared to other cell divisions. Moreover, the frequency of the...