meiosis

1. Genetics. The process of cell division in sexually reproducing organisms that reduces the number of chromosomes in reproductive cells from diploid to haploid, leading to the production of gametes in animals and spores in plants.
2. Rhetorical understatement.

[Greek meiōsis, diminution, from meioun, to diminish, from meiōn, less.]

The set of two successive cell divisions that serve to separate homologous chromosome pairs prior to the formation of gametes (sperm and eggs). The major purpose of meiosis is the precise reduction in the number of chromosomes by one-half, so that a diploid cell can create haploid gametes. Meiosis is therefore a critical component of sexual reproduction. See also Gametogenesis.

The basic events of meiosis are actually quite simple. As the cell begins meiosis, each chromosome has already duplicated its deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and carries two identical copies of the DNA molecule. These are visible as two lateral parts, called sister chromatids, which are connected by a centromere. Homologous pairs of chromosomes are first identified and matched. This process, which occurs only in the first of the two meiotic divisions, is called pairing. The matched pairs are then physically interlocked by recombination, which is also known as exchange or crossing-over. After recombination, the homologous chromosomes separate from each other, and at the first meiotic division are partitioned into different nuclei. As a consequence, the second meiotic division begins with half of the original number of chromosomes. During this second meiotic division, the sister chromatids of each chromosome separate and migrate to different daughter cells. See also Chromosome.

The patterns by which genes are inherited are determined by the movement of the chromosomes during the two meiotic divisions. It is a fundamental tenet of mendelian inheritance that each individual carries two copies of each gene, one derived from its father and one derived from its mother. Moreover, each of that individual's gametes will carry only one copy of that gene, which is chosen at random. The process by which the two copies of a given gene are distributed into separate gametes is referred to as segregation. Thus, if an individual is heterozygous at the A gene for two different alleles, A and a, his or her gametes will be equally likely to carry the A allele or the a allele, but never both or neither. The fact that homologous chromosomes, and thus homologous genes, segregate to opposite poles at the first meiotic division explains this principle of inheritance. See also Cell cycle.

Meiotic divisions

The two meiotic divisions may be divided into a number of distinct stages. Meiotic prophase refers to the period after the last cycle of DNA replication, during which time homologous chromosomes pair and recombine. The end of prophase is signaled by the breakdown of the nuclear envelope, and the association of the paired chromosomes with the meiotic spindle. The spindle is made up of microtubules that, with associated motor proteins, mediate chromosome movement. In some cases (such as human sperm formation), the spindle is already formed at the point of nuclear envelope breakdown, and the chromosomes then attach to it. In other systems (such as human female meiosis), the chromosomes themselves organize the spindle.

Metaphase I is the period before the first division during which pairs of interlocked homologous chromosomes, called bivalents, line up on the middle of the meiotic spindle. The chromosomes are primarily (but not exclusively) attached to the spindle by their centromeres such that the centromere of one homolog is attached to spindle fibers emanating from one pole, and the centromere of its partner is attached to spindle fibers from the other pole (see illustration). The bivalents are physically held together by structures referred to as chiasmata that are the result of meiotic recombination events. In most meiotic systems, meiosis will not continue until all of the homolog pairs are properly oriented at the middle of the spindle, the metaphase plate. The orientation of each pair of homologs on the spindle occurs in a random fashion, such that the paternally derived homolog of one bivalent may point toward one pole of the spindle, while in the adjacent bivalent the maternally derived homolog is oriented toward the same pole.

Stages of meiosis. (a) Pre-meiotic interphase. (b) Leptotene. (c) Zygotene. (d) Pachytene. (e) Diplotene/ diakinesis. (f) Metaphase I. (g) Anaphase I. (h) Metaphase II. (i) Anaphase II. (j) Telophase II.

Anaphase I refers to the point at which homologous chromosome pairs separate and move to opposite poles. Depending on the organism, there may or may not be a true telophase, or a time in which nuclei reform. In most organisms, the first cell division occurs after the completion of anaphase I.

Following the completion of the first meiotic division, the chromosomes recondense and align themselves on a new pair of spindles, with their sister chromatids oriented toward opposite poles. The stage at which each chromosome is so aligned is referred to as metaphase II. In some, but not all, organisms, metaphase II is preceded by a brief prophase II. DNA replication does not occur during prophase II; each chromosome still consists of the two sister chromatids. Nor are there opportunities for pairing or recombination at this stage due to the prior separation of homologs at anaphase I.

The start of anaphase II is signaled by the separation of sister centromeres, and the movement of the two sister chromatids to opposite poles. At telophase II, the sisters have reached opposite poles and the nuclei begin to reform. The second cell division usually occurs at this time. Thus, at the end of the second meiotic division, there will be four daughter cells, each with a single copy of each chromosome.

Details of meiotic prophase

Because pairing and recombination occur during the first meiotic prophase, much attention has been focused on this stage of the process. The prophase of the first meiotic division is subdivided into five stages: leptotene, zygotene, pachytene, diplotene, and diakinesis (see illustration). Homolog recognition, alignment, and synapsis occur during leptotene and zygotene. In the leptotene, initial homolog alignments are made. By zygotene, homologous chromosomes have become associated at various points along their length. These associations facilitate a more intimate pairing that results in the homologous chromosomes lying abreast of a tracklike structure called the synaptonemal complex. The beginning of pachytene is signaled by the completion of a continuous synaptonemal complex running the full length of each bivalent. During diplotene, the attractive forces that mediated homologous pairing disappear, and the homologs begin to repel each other. However, homologs virtually always recombine, and those recombination events can be seen as chiasmata that tether the homologs together. The final stage in meiotic prophase is diakinesis, during which the homologs shorten and condense in preparation for nuclear division.

Recombination

Meiotic recombination involves the physical interchange of DNA molecules between the two homologous chromosomes, thus allowing the creation of new combinations of alleles for genes located on that pair of chromosomes. Recombination involves the precise breakage and rejoining of two nonsister chromatids. The result is the formation of two recombinant chromatids, each of which carries information from both of the original homologs. The number and position of recombination events is very precisely controlled. Exchange occurs only in the gene-rich euchromatin that makes up most of the chromosome arms, never in the heterochromatin that surrounds the centromeres. Moreover, as a result of a process known as interference, the occurrence of one exchange in a given chromosomal region greatly decreases the probability of a second exchange in that region. See also Recombination (genetics).

Errors of meiosis

The failure of two chromosomes to segregate properly is called nondisjunction. Nondisjunction occurs either because two homologs failed to pair and/or recombine or because of a failure of the cell to properly move the segregating chromosomes on the meiotic spindle. The result of nondisjunction is the production of gametes that are aneuploid, carrying the wrong number of chromosomes. When such a gamete is involved in a fertilization event, the resulting zygote is also aneuploid. Those cases where the embryo carries an extra copy of a given chromosome are said to be trisomic, while those that carry but one copy are said to be monosomic for that chromosome. Most aneuploid zygotes are not viable and result in early spontaneous abortion. There are no viable monosomies for the human autosomes; however, a few types of trisomic zygotes are capable of survival. These are trisomies for the sex chromosomes (XXX, XXY, XYY), trisomy 21 (Down syndrome), trisomy 18, and trisomy 13. See also Crossing-over (genetics).

Meiosis versus mitosis

The fundamental difference between meiosis and mitosis is that at the first meiotic division, sister chromatids do not separate; rather, homologous chromosomes separate from each other with their sister chromatids still attached to each other. Recombination is frequent in most meiotic cells; however, it occurs only rarely in mitotic cells, usually as part of DNA repair events. Most critically, DNA synthesis occurs only once within the two meiotic divisions, while there is a complete replication before every mitotic division. This allows mitosis to produce two genetically identical daughter cells, while meiosis produces four daughter cells, each of which have only one-half the number of chromosomes present prior to meiosis. See also Gene; Mitosis.

A type of cell division peculiar to maturing sex cells which ensures that each daughter cell contains the necessary complement of chromosomes for future embryonic development.

Second meiotic division. (Moore/Persaud, 2003)

Meiosis is a type of cell division that, in humans, occurs only in male testes and female ovary tissue, and, together with fertilization, it is the process that is characteristic of sexual reproduction. Meiosis serves two important purposes: it keeps the number of chromosomes from doubling each generation, and it provides genetic diversity in offspring. In this it differs from mitosis, which is the process of cell division that occurs in all somatic cells.

Overview

All of our somatic cells except the egg and sperm cells contain twenty-three pairs of chromosomes, for a total of forty-six individual chromosomes. This number, twenty-three, is known as the diploid number. If our egg and sperm cells were just like our somatic cells and contained twenty-three pairs of chromosomes, their fusion during fertilization would create a cell with forty-six chromosome pairs, or ninety-two chromosomes total. To prevent that from happening and to ensure a stable number of chromosomes throughout the generations, a special type of cell division is needed to halve the number of chromosomes in egg and sperm cells. This special process is meiosis.

Meiosis creates haploid cells, in which there are twenty-three individual chromosomes, without any pairing. When gametes fuse at conception to produce a zygote, which will turn into a fetus and eventually into an adult human being, the chromosomes containing the mother's and father's genetic material combine to form a single diploid cell. The specialized diploid cells that will eventually undergo meiosis to produce the gametes are called primary oocytes in the female ovary and primary spermatocytes in the male testis. They are set aside from somatic cells early in the course of fetal development.

Even though meiosis is a continuous process in reality, it is convenient to describe it as occurring in two separate rounds of nuclear division. In the first round (meiosis I), the two versions of each chromosome, called homologues or homologous chromosomes, pair up along their entire lengths and thus enable genetic material to be exchanged between them. This exchange process is called crossing over and contributes greatly to the amount of genetic variation that we see between parents and their children. Subsequently, the two homologues are pulled toward opposite ends of their surrounding cell, thus creating a haploid cluster of chromosomes at each pole, at which point division occurs, separating the two clusters. Meiosis I is therefore the actual reduction division. At the end of meiosis I, each chromosome is still composed of two sister strands (chromatids) held together by a particular DNA sequence of about 220 nucleotides, called the centromere. The centromere has a disk-shaped protein molecule (kinetochore) attached to it that is important for the separation of the sister chromatids in the second round of meiosis (meiosis II). Meiosis II is essentially the same division process as mitosis. Through the separation of the two sister chromatids, a total of four daughter cells, each with a haploid set of chromosomes, are created.

Meiosis I

Meiosis must be preceded by the S phase of the cell cycle. This is when DNA replication (the copying of the genetic material) occurs. Thus, each chromosome enters meiosis consisting of two sister chromatids joined at the centromere. The first stage of meiosis is a stage called prophase I. First, the DNA of individual chromosomes coils more and more tightly, a process called DNA condensation. The sister chromatids then attach to specific sites on the nuclear envelope that are designed to bring the members of each homologous pair of chromosomes close together. The sister chromatids line up in a fashion that is precise enough to pair up each gene on the DNA molecule with its corresponding "sister gene" on the homologous chromosome. This four-stranded structure of maternal and paternal homologues is also called a bivalent.

Next in prophase I is the process of crossing over, in which fragments of DNA are exchanged between the homologous sister chromatids that form the paired DNA strands. Crossing over involves the physical breakage of the DNA double helix in one paternal and one maternal chromatid and joining of the respective ends. Under the light microscope, the points of this exchange can often be seen as an X-shaped structure called a chiasma.

The exchange of genetic material means that new combinations of genes are created on two of the four chromatids: Stretches of DNA with maternal gene copies are mixed with stretches of DNA with paternal copies. This creation of new gene combinations is called "recombination" and is very important for evolution, since it increases the amount of genetic material that evolution can act upon. A statistical technique known as linkage analysis uses the frequency of recombination to infer the location of genes, such as those that increase a person's risk for certain diseases.

At the beginning of metaphase I, the nuclear envelope has dissolved, and specialized protein fibers called microtubules have formed a spindle apparatus, as also occurs in the metaphase of mitosis. These microtubules then attach to the kinetochore protein disks on the two centromeres of the homologous pair of chromosomes. However, there is an important difference between mitosis and meiosis in the way this attachment occurs. In mitosis, microtubules attach to both faces of the kinetochore and thus separate sister chromatids when they pull apart. In meiosis, because the chiasma structures still hold the homologous sister chromatids together, only one face of each kinetochore is accessible to the microtubules. Since the microtubules can only attach to one face of the kinetochore, the sister chromatids will be drawn to opposite poles as a pair, without separation of the individual chromatids.

At the end of metaphase I, the pairs of homologues line up on the metaphase plate in the center of the cell, the spindle apparatus is fully developed, and the microtubules of the spindle fibers are attached to one side of each of the two kinetochores. In anaphase I, the microtubules begin to shorten, thus breaking apart the chiasmata and pulling the centromeres with their respective sister chromatids toward the two cell poles. The centromeres do not divide, as they do in mitosis. At the final stage of meiosis I, called telophase I, each cell pole has a cluster of chromosomes that corresponds to a complete haploid set, one member of each homologous chromosome pair.

The Sources of Genetic Diversity

It is completely random whether the maternal or paternal chromosome of each pair ends up at a particular pole. The orientation of each pair of homologous chromosomes on the metaphase plate is random, and a mixture of maternal and paternal chromosomes will be drawn toward the same cell pole by chance. This phenomenon is often called "independent assortment," and it creates new combinations of genes that are located on different chromosomes. Thus, we have two levels of gene reshuffling occurring in meiosis I. The first occurs during recombination in prophase I, which creates new combinations of genes on the same chromosome. In contrast to mitosis, the sister chromatids of a chromosome are not genetically identical because of the crossing-over process. Anaphase I then adds the independent assortment of chromosomes to create new combinations of genes on different chromosomes. A total of 2²³ (8.4 million) possible combinations of parental chromosomes can be produced by one person, and recombination further increases this to an almost unlimited number of genetically different gametes.

Meiosis II

Once both cell poles have a haploid set of chromosomes clustered around them, these chromosomes divide mitotically (without reshuffling or reducing the number of chromosomes during division) during the second part of meiosis. This time, the spindle fibers bind to both faces of the kinetochore, the centromeres divide, and the sister chromatids move to opposite cell poles. At the end of meiosis II, therefore, the cell has produced four haploid groups of chromosomes. Nuclear envelopes form around each of these four sets of chromosomes, and the cytoplasm is physically divided among the four daughter cells in a process known as cytokinesis.

In males, the four resulting haploid sperm cells all go on to function as gametes (spermatozoa). They are produced continuously from puberty onwards. In females, all primary oocytes enter meiosis I during fetal development but then arrest at the prophase I stage until puberty. During infancy and early childhood, the primary oocytes acquire various functional characteristics of the mature egg cell. After puberty, one oocyte a month completes meiosis, but only one mature egg is produced, rather than the four mature sperm cells in males. The other daughter cells, called polar bodies, contain little cytoplasm and do not function as gametes.

Comparison with Mitosis

In summary, the main differences between meiosis and mitosis are that meiosis occurs only in specialized cells rather than in every tissue; it produces haploid gametes rather than diploid somatic cells; and each daughter cell is genetically different from the others due to recombination and independent assortment of homologues, rather than genetically identical. The pairing of homologous chromosomes and crossing over occur only in meiosis.

Chromosomal Aberrations

Meiosis is a very intricate process that requires, among other things, the precise alignment of homologous chromosome pairs and correct attachment of microtubules. During meiosis, errors in chromosome distribution may occur and lead to chromosomal aberrations in the offspring. One example is Down syndrome, where affected children carry three copies of chromosome 21 (trisomy 21). This may be explained by the failure of paired chromosomes or sister chromatids to separate in either sperm or egg, leading to the presence of two copies of chromosome 21. After fertilization with a normal gamete, the zygote will carry three copies, which leads to several phenotypic abnormalities, including mental retardation.

Bibliography

Alberts, Bruce, et al. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 3rd ed. New York: Garland Publishing, 1994.

Curtis, Helena, and Susan Barnes. Invitation to Biology, 5th ed. New York: WorthPublishers, 1994.

Raven, Peter H., and George B. Johnson. Biology, 2nd ed. St. Louis, MO: Times Mirror/Mosby College Publishing, 1989.

Robinson, Richard. Biology. Farmington Hills, MI: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001.

—Silke Schmidt

meiosis [my‐oh‐sis] (plural ‐oses)the Greek term for understatement or ‘belittling’: a rhetorical figure by which something is referred to in terms less important than it really deserves, as when Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet calls his mortal wound a ‘scratch’. Usually the effect is one of irony or anticlimax, but it may be disparaging, as when a writer is called a scribbler. The favoured form of meiosis is litotes, in which an affirmation is made indirectly by denying its opposite, e.g. it was no mean feat.

Adjective: meiotic.

For more information on meiosis, visit Britannica.com.

The process of division of sex cells, resulting in the formation of gametes (eggs or sperm cells). In meiosis the nucleus undergoes two separate divisions, but the chromosomes are duplicated only once. So the four daughter cells each possess only half the chromosomes of the parent cell. When the egg and sperm, each with half a complement of chromosomes, unite, the two halves join together, resulting in a fertilized egg with the full number of chromosomes. This is a principal source of the difference between offspring and parents. During meiosis the original chromosomes may break and rejoin with others lying alongside them; this process (crossing over) is also a source of genetic variation. In philosophical discussion of abortion, it is sometimes suggested that it is only after the joining up process that we have a single entity with the potential for life, and that this separates the morality of abortion from that of birth control.

Meiosis is often referred to as reduction division, meaning that the number of chromosomes present is reduced from 2N (diploid) to N (haploid). The meiotic process consists of two separate cell divisions and occurs in the gonads (ovaries and testis). It is most important to sexual reproduction because of genetic variation that occurs as a result of this process.

Division of cells in which four “daughter” cells are produced from one “parent” cell, each with half the genes of the parent. Meiosis is a key process in sexual reproduction. In the ovaries and testes, meiosis produces a great variety of sex cells (sperm and ova), because the genes of the parent cell can be split in many different ways. The sex cells combine in fertilization to produce a new individual with the full number of genes — half from each parent. Because the sex cells come in such variety, and come from two parents, there is an enormous number of possible forms for the offspring. (See chromosomes, genetics, and mitosis.)

The process of cell division by which reproductive cells (gametes) are formed. There are two successive divisions, meiosis I and meiosis II, in which four daughter cells that have the haploid chromosome number are formed. As in mitosis (somatic cell division), meiosis I and II are each divided into four phases: prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase.

An understatement; the presentation of a thing with under emphasis in order to achieve a greater effect.

This article includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (June 2009)

Not to be confused with mitosis or miosis.

For the figure of speech, see meiosis (figure of speech).

Events involving meiosis, showing chromosomal crossover

In biology, meiosis (pronounced /maɪˈəʊsɪs/) is a process of reductional division in which the number of chromosomes per cell is halved. In animals, meiosis always results in the formation of gametes, while in other organisms it can give rise to spores. As with mitosis, before meiosis begins, the DNA in the original cell is replicated during S-phase of the cell cycle. Two cell divisions separate the replicated chromosomes into four haploid gametes or spores.

Meiosis is essential for sexual reproduction and therefore occurs in all eukaryotes (including single-celled organisms) that reproduce sexually. A few eukaryotes, notably the Bdelloid rotifers, have lost the ability to carry out meiosis and have acquired the ability to reproduce by parthenogenesis. Meiosis does not occur in archaea or bacteria, which reproduce via asexual processes such as binary fission.

During meiosis, the genome of a diploid germ cell, which is composed of long segments of DNA packaged into chromosomes, undergoes DNA replication followed by two rounds of division, resulting in four haploid cells. Each of these cells contain one complete set of chromosomes, or half of the genetic content of the original cell. If meiosis produces gametes, these cells must fuse during fertilization to create a new diploid cell, or zygote before any new growth can occur. Thus, the division mechanism of meiosis is a reciprocal process to the joining of two genomes that occurs at fertilization. Because the chromosomes of each parent undergo genetic recombination during meiosis, each gamete, and thus each zygote, will have a unique genetic blueprint encoded in its DNA. Together, meiosis and fertilization constitute sexuality in the eukaryotes, and generate genetically distinct individuals in populations.

In all plants, and in many protists, meiosis results in the formation of haploid cells that can divide vegetatively without undergoing fertilization, referred to as spores. In these groups, gametes are produced by mitosis.

Meiosis uses many of the same biochemical mechanisms employed during mitosis to accomplish the redistribution of chromosomes. There are several features unique to meiosis, most importantly the pairing and genetic recombination between homologous chromosomes.

Meiosis comes from the root -meio, meaning less.

Contents 1 History 2 Evolution 3 Occurrence of meiosis in eukaryotic life cycles 4 Process 5 Meiosis-phases 5.1 Meiosis I 5.1.1 Prophase I 5.1.1.1 Leptotene 5.1.1.2 Zygotene 5.1.1.3 Pachytene 5.1.1.4 Diplotene 5.1.1.5 Diakinesis 5.1.1.6 Synchronous processes 5.1.2 Metaphase I 5.1.3 Anaphase I 5.1.4 Telophase I 5.2 Meiosis II 6 The Significance of Meiosis 7 Nondisjunction 8 Meiosis in humans 9 References 10 See also 11 External links

History

Meiosis was discovered and described for the first time in sea urchin eggs in 1876, by noted German biologist Oscar Hertwig (1849-1922). It was described again in 1883, at the level of chromosomes, by Belgian zoologist Edouard Van Beneden (1846-1910), in Ascaris worms' eggs. The significance of meiosis for reproduction and inheritance, however, was described only in 1890 by German biologist August Weismann (1834-1914), who noted that two cell divisions were necessary to transform one diploid cell into four haploid cells if the number of chromosomes had to be maintained. In 1911 the American geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan (1866-1945) observed crossover in Drosophila melanogaster meiosis and provided the first genetic evidence that genes are transmitted on chromosomes.

Evolution

Meiosis is thought to have appeared 1.4 billion years ago. The only supergroup of eukaryotes which does not have meiosis in all organisms is excavata. The other five major supergroups, opisthokonts, amoebozoa, rhizaria, archaeplastida and chromalveolates all seem to have genes for meiosis universally present, even if not always functional. Some excavata species do have meiosis which is consistent with the hypothesis that this group is an ancient, paraphyletic grade. An example of eukaryotic organism in which meiosis does not exist is euglenoid.

Occurrence of meiosis in eukaryotic life cycles

Gametic life cycle.

Zygotic life cycle.

Sporic life cycle.

Main article: Biological life cycle

Meiosis occur in eukaryotic life cycles involving sexual reproduction, comprising of the constant cyclical process of meiosis and fertilization. This takes place alongside normal mitotic cell division. In multicellular organisms, there is an intermediary step between the diploid and haploid transition where the organism grows. The organism will then produce the germ cells that continue in the life cycle. The rest of the cells, called somatic cells, function within the organism and will die with it.

Cycling meiosis and fertilization events produces a series of transitions back and forth between alternating haploid and diploid states. The organism phase of the life cycle can occur either during the diploid state (gametic or diploid life cycle), during the haploid state (zygotic or haploid life cycle), or both (sporic or haplodiploid life cycle, in which there two distinct organism phases, one during the haploid state and the other during the diploid state). In this sense, there are three types of life cycles that utilize sexual reproduction, differentiated by the location of the organisms phase(s).

In the gametic life cycle, of which humans are a part, the species is diploid, grown from a diploid cell called the zygote. The organism's diploid germ-line stem cells undergo meiosis to create haploid gametes (the spermatozoa for males and ova for females), which fertilize to form the zygote. The diploid zygote undergoes repeated cellular division by mitosis to grow into the organism. Mitosis is a related process to meiosis that creates two cells that are genetically identical to the parent cell. The general principle is that mitosis creates somatic cells and meiosis creates germ cells.

In the zygotic life cycle the species is haploid instead, spawned by the proliferation and differentiation of a single haploid cell called the gamete. Two organisms of opposing gender contribute their haploid germ cells to form a diploid zygote. The zygote undergoes meiosis immediately, creating four haploid cells. These cells undergo mitosis to create the organism. Many fungi and many protozoa are members of the zygotic life cycle.

Finally, in the sporic life cycle, the living organism alternates between haploid and diploid states. Consequently, this cycle is also known as the alternation of generations. The diploid organism's germ-line cells undergo meiosis to produce gametes. The gametes proliferate by mitosis, growing into a haploid organism. The haploid organism's germ cells then combine with another haploid organism's cells, creating the zygote. The zygote undergoes repeated mitosis and differentiation to become the diploid organism again. The sporic life cycle can be considered a fusion of the gametic and zygotic life cycles.

Process

Because meiosis is a "one-way" process, it cannot be said to engage in a cell cycle as mitosis does. However, the preparatory steps that lead up to meiosis are identical in pattern and name to the interphase of the mitotic cell cycle.

Interphase is divided into three phases:

• Growth 1 (G₁) phase: This is a very active period, where the cell synthesizes its vast array of proteins, including the enzymes and structural proteins it will need for growth. In G1 stage each of the chromosomes consists of a single (very long) molecule of DNA. In humans, at this point cells are 46 chromosomes, 2N, identical to somatic cells.
• Synthesis (S) phase: The genetic material is replicated: each of its chromosomes duplicates, producing 46 chromosomes each made up of two sister chromatids. The cell is still considered diploid because it still contains the same number of centromeres. The identical sister chromatids have not yet condensed into the densely packaged chromosomes visible with the light microscope. This will take place during prophase I in meiosis.
• Growth 2 (G₂) phase: G2 phase is absent in Meiosis

Interphase is followed by meiosis I and then meiosis II. Meiosis I consists of separating the pairs of homologous chromosome, each made up of two sister chromatids, into two cells. One entire haploid content of chromosomes is contained in each of the resulting daughter cells; the first meiotic division therefore reduces the ploidy of the original cell by a factor of 2.

Meiosis II consists of decoupling each chromosome's sister strands (chromatids), and segregating the individual chromatids into haploid daughter cells. The two cells resulting from meiosis I divide during meiosis II, creating 4 haploid daughter cells. Meiosis I and II are each divided into prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase stages, similar in purpose to their analogous subphases in the mitotic cell cycle. Therefore, meiosis includes the stages of meiosis I (prophase I, metaphase I, anaphase I, telophase I), and meiosis II (prophase II, metaphase II, anaphase II, telophase II).

Meiosis generates genetic diversity in two ways: (1) independent alignment and subsequent separation of homologous chromosome pairs during the first meiotic division allows a random and independent selection of each chromosome segregates into each gamete; and (2) physical exchange of homologous chromosomal regions by recombination during prophase I results in new genetic combinations within chromosomes.

A diagram of the meiotic phases.

Meiosis-phases

Meiosis I

Meiosis I separates homologous chromosomes, producing two haploid cells (23 chromosomes, N in humans), so meiosis I is referred to as a reductional division. A regular diploid human cell contains 46 chromosomes and is considered 2N because it contains 23 pairs of homologous chromosomes. However, after meiosis I, although the cell contains 46 chromatids it is only considered as being N, with 23 chromosomes, because later in anaphase I the sister chromatids will remain together as the spindle pulls the pair toward the pole of the new cell. In meiosis II, an equational division similar to mitosis will occur whereby the sister chromatids are finally split, creating a total of 4 haploid cells (23 chromosomes, N) per daughter cell from the first division.

Prophase I

Homologous chromosomes pair (or synapse) and crossing over (or recombination) occurs - a step unique to meiosis. The paired and replicated chromosomes are called bivalents or tetrads, which have two chromosomes and four chromatids, with one chromosome coming from each parent. At this stage, non-sister chromatids may cross-over at points called chiasmata (plural; singular chiasma).

Leptotene

The first stage of prophase I is the leptotene stage, also known as leptonema, from Greek words meaning "thin threads".^[1] During this stage, individual chromosomes begin to condense into long strands within the nucleus. However the two sister chromatids are still so tightly bound that they are indistinguishable from one another.

Zygotene

The zygotene stage, also known as zygonema, from Greek words meaning "paired threads",^[1] occurs as the chromosomes approximately line up with each other into homologous chromosomes. This is called the bouquet stage because of the way the telomeres cluster at one end of the nucleus.

Pachytene

The pachytene stage, also known as pachynema, from Greek words meaning "thick threads",^[1] contains the following chromosomal crossover. Nonsister chromatids of homologous chromosomes randomly exchange segments of genetic information over regions of homology. (Sex chromosomes, however, are not wholly identical, and only exchange information over a small region of homology.) Exchange takes place at sites where recombination nodules (the aforementioned chiasmata) have formed. The exchange of information between the non-sister chromatids results in a recombination of information; each chromosome has the complete set of information it had before, and there are no gaps formed as a result of the process. Because the chromosomes cannot be distinguished in the synaptonemal complex, the actual act of crossing over is not perceivable through the microscope.

Diplotene

During the diplotene stage, also known as diplonema, from Greek words meaning "two threads",^[1] the synaptonemal complex degrades and homologous chromosomes separate from one another a little. The chromosomes themselves uncoil a bit, allowing some transcription of DNA. However, the homologous chromosomes of each bivalent remain tightly bound at chiasmata, the regions where crossing-over occurred. The chiasmata remain on the chromosomes until they are severed in Anaphase I.

In human fetal oogenesis all developing oocytes develop to this stage and stop before birth. This suspended state is referred to as the dictyotene stage and remains so until puberty. In males, only spermatogonia(Spermatogenesis) exist until meiosis begins at puberty.

Diakinesis

Chromosomes condense further during the diakinesis stage, from Greek words meaning "moving through".^[1] This is the first point in meiosis where the four parts of the tetrads are actually visible. Sites of crossing over entangle together, effectively overlapping, making chiasmata clearly visible. Other than this observation, the rest of the stage closely resembles prometaphase of mitosis; the nucleoli disappear, the nuclear membrane disintegrates into vesicles, and the meiotic spindle begins to form.

Synchronous processes

During these stages, two centrosomes, containing a pair of centrioles in animal cells, migrate to the two poles of the cell. These centrosomes, which were duplicated during S-phase, function as microtubule organizing centers nucleating microtubules, which are essentially cellular ropes and poles. The microtubules invade the nuclear region after the nuclear envelope disintegrates, attaching to the chromosomes at the kinetochore. The kinetochore functions as a motor, pulling the chromosome along the attached microtubule toward the originating centriole, like a train on a track. There are four kinetochores on each tetrad, but the pair of kinetochores on each sister chromatid fuses and functions as a unit during meiosis I. ^[2][3]

Microtubules that attach to the kinetochores are known as kinetochore microtubules. Other microtubules will interact with microtubules from the opposite centriole: these are called nonkinetochore microtubules or polar microtubules. A third type of microtubules, the aster microtubules, radiates from the centrosome into the cytoplasm or contacts components of the membrane skeleton.

Metaphase I

Homologous pairs move together along the metaphase plate: As kinetochore microtubules from both centrioles attach to their respective kinetochores, the homologous chromosomes align along an equatorial plane that bisects the spindle, due to continuous counterbalancing forces exerted on the bivalents by the microtubules emanating from the two kinetochores of homologous chromosomes. The physical basis of the independent assortment of chromosomes is the random orientation of each bivalent along the metaphase plate, with respect to the orientation of the other bivalents along the same equatorial line.

Anaphase I

Kinetochore microtubules shorten, severing the recombination nodules and pulling homologous chromosomes apart. Since each chromosome has only one functional unit of a pair of kinetochores^[3], whole chromosomes are pulled toward opposing poles, forming two haploid sets. Each chromosome still contains a pair of sister chromatids. Nonkinetochore microtubules lengthen, pushing the centrioles farther apart. The cell elongates in preparation for division down the center.

Telophase I

The last meiotic division effectively ends when the chromosomes arrive at the poles. Each daughter cell now has half the number of chromosomes but each chromosome consists of a pair of chromatids. The microtubules that make up the spindle network disappear, and a new nuclear membrane surrounds each haploid set. The chromosomes uncoil back into chromatin. Cytokinesis, the pinching of the cell membrane in animal cells or the formation of the cell wall in plant cells, occurs, completing the creation of two daughter cells. Sister chromatids remain attached during telophase I.

Cells may enter a period of rest known as interkinesis or interphase II. No DNA replication occurs during this stage.

Meiosis II

Meiosis II is the second part of the meiotic process. Much of the process is similar to mitosis. The end result is production of four haploid cells (23 chromosomes, 1N in humans) from the two haploid cells (23 chromosomes, 1N * each of the chromosomes consisting of two sister chromatids) produced in meiosis I. The four main steps of Meiosis II are: Prophase II, Metaphase II, Anaphase II, and Telophase II.

Prophase II takes an inversely proportional time compared to telophase I. In this prophase we see the disappearance of the nucleoli and the nuclear envelope again as well as the shortening and thickening of the chromatids. Centrioles move to the polar regions and arrange spindle fibers for the second meiotic division.

In metaphase II, the centromeres contain two kinetochores that attach to spindle fibers from the centrosomes (centrioles) at each pole. The new equatorial metaphase plate is rotated by 90 degrees when compared to meiosis I, perpendicular to the previous plate.

This is followed by anaphase II, where the centromeres are cleaved, allowing microtubules attached to the kinetochores to pull the sister chromatids apart. The sister chromatids by convention are now called sister chromosomes as they move toward opposing poles.

The process ends with telophase II, which is similar to telophase I, and is marked by uncoiling and lengthening of the chromosomes and the disappearance of the spindle. Nuclear envelopes reform and cleavage or cell wall formation eventually produces a total of four daughter cells, each with a haploid set of chromosomes. Meiosis is now complete and ends up with four new daughter cells.

The Significance of Meiosis

Meiosis facilitates stable sexual reproduction. Without the halving of ploidy, or chromosome count, fertilization would result in zygotes that have twice the number of chromosomes as the zygotes from the previous generation. Successive generations would have an exponential increase in chromosome count. In organisms that are normally diploid, polyploidy, the state of having three or more sets of chromosomes, results in extreme developmental abnormalities or lethality ^[4]. Polyploidy is poorly tolerated in most animal species. Plants, however, regularly produce fertile, viable polyploids. Polyploidy has been implicated as an important mechanism in plant speciation.

Most importantly, recombination and independent assortment of homologous chromosomes allow for a greater diversity of genotypes in the population. This produces genetic variation in gametes that promote genetic and phenotypic variation in a population of offspring.

Nondisjunction

Main article: Nondisjunction

The normal separation of chromosomes in meiosis I or sister chromatids in meiosis II is termed disjunction. When the separation is not normal, it is called nondisjunction. This results in the production of gametes which have either too many of too few of a particular chromosome, and is a common mechanism for trisomy or monosomy. Nondisjunction can occur in the meiosis I or meiosis II, phases of cellular reproduction, or during mitosis.

This is a cause of several medical conditions in humans (such as):

• Down Syndrome - trisomy of chromosome 21
• Patau Syndrome - trisomy of chromosome 13
• Edward Syndrome - trisomy of chromosome 18
• Klinefelter Syndrome - extra X chromosomes in males - ie XXY, XXXY, XXXXY
• Turner Syndrome - lacking of one X chromosome in females - ie XO
• Triple X syndrome - an extra X chromosome in females
• XYY Syndrome - an extra Y chromosome in males

Meiosis in humans

In females, meiosis occurs in cells known as oogonia (singular: oogonium). Each oogonium that initiates meiosis will divide twice to form a single oocyte and two polar bodies.^[5] However, before these divisions occur, these cells stop at the diplotene stage of meiosis I and lay dormant within a protective shell of somatic cells called the follicle. Follicles begin growth at a steady pace in a process known as folliculogenesis, and a small number enter the menstrual cycle. Menstruated oocytes continue meiosis I and arrest at meiosis II until fertilization. The process of meiosis in females occurs during oogenesis, and differs from the typical meiosis in that it features a long period of meiotic arrest known as the Dictyate stage and lacks the assistance of centrosomes.

In males, meiosis occurs in precursor cells known as spermatogonia that divide twice to become sperm. These cells continuously divide without arrest in the seminiferous tubules of the testicles. Sperm is produced at a steady pace. The process of meiosis in males occurs during spermatogenesis.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Principles of Genetics, Fourth Edition, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2006.
2. ^ Raven, Peter H.; Johnson, George B.; Mason, Kenneth A.; Losos, Jonathan & Singer, Susan. Biology, Eighth Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2007.
3. ^ ^{a b} Petronczki, Mark; Siomos, Maria F. & Nasmyth, Kim (2003-02-21). "Un Ménage à Quatre The Molecular Biology of Chromosome Segregation in Meiosis", Cell 112 (4): 423-40. doi:10.1016/S0092-8674(03)00083-7.
4. ^ BIL 104 - Lecture 15
5. ^ Rosenbusch B (November 2006). "The contradictory information on the distribution of non-disjunction and pre-division in female gametes". Hum. Reprod. 21 (11): 2739–42. doi:10.1093/humrep/del122. PMID 16982661. 

See also

• Mitosis
• Ploidy
• Spermatogenesis
• Oogenesis
• Multigene family
• Allele

External links

• Meiosis Flash Animation
• Animations from the U. of Arizona Biology Dept.
• Meiosis at Kimball's Biology Pages
• CCO The Cell-Cycle Ontology
• Mitosis vs Meiosis - The differences

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