Abstract
Meiosis is the cell division process by which haploid gametes are produced from a diploid progenitor cell. Reduction of the genome by half requires that DNA replication is followed not by one nuclear division, as in mitosis, but by two consecutive divisions. The sorting and segregation of chromosomes during these two nuclear divisions is tightly controlled, thereby ensuring that each of the gametes inherits a complete haploid set of chromosomes. Errors in chromosome segregation during meiosis generate gametes with too few or too many chromosomes, a condition known as aneuploidy, which is associated with birth defects and infertility (Hassold and Hunt, 2001). This chapter reviews our current understanding of the role the centromere and kinetochore play in bringing about the specialized segregation of chromosomes during meiosis.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Kinetochore |
| Subtitle of host publication | From Molecular Discoveries to Cancer Therapy |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Pages | 395-431 |
| Number of pages | 37 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-0-387-69076-6 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780387690735 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2009 |