Basic and practical aspects of immunofluorescent labeling in meiosis

PIGOZZI MI

Atibaia

Taller; 4ta Reunión Brasileña de Citogenética; 2015

Among mammals, the meiotic prophase I was initially studied using thin sections and microspread meiotic nuclei at the electron microscope. These methods relied on the visualization of the synaptonemal complexes which reproduce the chromosome behavior during early meiotic stages. For many years, the technically challenging procedures and the requirement of expensive equipment kept synapsis and recombination studies limited to relatively few laboratories worldwide. The knowledge on the molecular basis of chromosome synapsis and recombination in yeast was rapidly followed by a renewed interest in mutant mice causing infertility and the generation of meiotic knock-out organisms. This interest boosted the production of antibodies against meiotic axes from mammals and the use of these antibodies in immunofluorescence paved the way to study the behavior of chromosomes during prophase and the role of their associated proteins in higher eukaryotes. The goal of the course is to provide an introduction to immunofluorescence methods with special focus to the study of meiotic chromosomes in birds, mammals and some insects.