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. 1992 Apr;130(4):865–872. doi: 10.1093/genetics/130.4.865

Synaptonemal Complexes from Dnase-Treated Rat Pachytene Chromosomes Contain (Gt)(n) and Line/Sine Sequences

R E Pearlman 1, N Tsao 1, P B Moens 1
PMCID: PMC1204935  PMID: 1582563

Abstract

Purified chromosome cores (synaptonemal complexes) of rat pachytene chromosomes, from which the chromatin is removed by extensive DNase II digestion, retain a residual class of DNA, presumably the bases of chromatin loops. This synaptonemal complex-associated DNA, isolated by proteinase digestion and phenol extraction of purified DNase-treated synaptonemal complexes, and cloned in plasmid vector pEMBL18, has a length distribution of 50-500 bp. From a library of these fragments, 21 fragments were sequenced. Present in this sample are short 40-200-bp segments with >80% identity to ``long'' and ``short'' interspersed repeated elements (LINE/SINEs), an excess of GT/CA tandem repeats and a number of unidentified sequences. The LINE/SINE segments may play a role in homology vs. nonhomology recognition during meiosis and the alternating purine-pyrimidine sequences have been implicated in genetic recombination. Their enrichment in synaptonemal complexes may be related to the synapsis and recombination functions of meiosis.

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Selected References

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