Cohesin and the maternal age effect.
During meiosis in human oocytes, chromosome nondisjunction increases with maternal age, leading to disorders such as Down's syndrome. In a recent study in Nature Genetics, Hodges et al. (2005) show that mice with a mutation in the meiosis-specific cohesin protein SMC1beta exhibit age-dependent defects in meiosis. These defects are similar to those observed in oocytes of older human mothers. Their results implicate an age-dependent loss of function in SMC1beta (or related proteins) in the maternal age effect of humans.
Gilliland
William D
WD
Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri 64110, USA.
Hawley
R Scott
RS
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020090:Chromosome Segregation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D008540:Meiosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D012854:Sister Chromatid Exchange
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; C438001:Smc1l2 protein, mouse