title: Synaptonemal complex protein SYCP3: Conserved polymerization properties among vertebrates.
abstract: Synaptonemal complexes (SCs) are meiosis-specific, nuclear structures that are critically involved in synapsis, recombination and segregation of homologous chromosomes. Although the SC structure is conserved in evolution this is not the case for its protein components. To provide information on SC proteins which would be important for our understanding of the conserved SC structure and function, here we compared ortholog SYCP3 proteins of two evolutionary distant vertebrate species, namely rat and medaka fish. To this end we have investigated the polymerization properties of both proteins by immunocytochemistry, electron microscopy and cell fractionation. We found that despite of the sequence differences that have accumulated over the last 450 million years mammalian and fish SYCP3 have similar properties that allow them to co-assemble higher order structures under experimental conditions. We also provide a likely explanation as to how heterozygous mutations in the SYCP3 gene can lead to a defective meiosis.
authors: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Würzburg, Germany.
authors: Andrea
authors: A
authors: Baier
authors: Manfred
authors: M
authors: Alsheimer
authors: Ricardo
authors: R
authors: Benavente
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D019556:COS Cells; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D010802:Phylogeny; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D001704:Biopolymers; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C085453:Sycp3 protein, rat