title: Chromosome structure and homologous chromosome association during meiotic prophase in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: Successful meiotic recombination is driven by a series of programmed chromosome dynamics that include changes in the protein composition of meiotic chromosomes and the juxtaposition of homologous chromosomes. The simultaneous visualization of both chromosome-bound proteins and the status of homologous association is an important experimental approach to analyze the mechanisms supporting proper meiotic chromosome association. One of a number of model organisms used for meiosis research, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans offers an excellent environment to study meiotic chromosome dynamics. Here I will describe how to visualize both chromosome structure and specific chromosomal loci simultaneously, in a whole-mount C. elegans germ line. It combines immunofluorescent (IF) staining for a meiotic chromosome structural component with fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH).
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2200, USA. knabe@umich.edu
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nabeshima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics*; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008540:Meiosis / Q000235:genetics*