How are kinetochores, cohesin and the pericentromeric chromatin modified during chromosome segregation in meiosis?

We are studying the molecular mechanisms that ensure the accurate segregation of chromosomes during cell division. Errors in chromosome segregation produce cells with too few or too many chromosomes, a condition known as aneuploidy, which in humans is associated with cancer and causes infertility and birth defects, such as Down’s syndrome. Mitosis is the cell division that makes gives rise to daughter cells with the same number of chromosomes the parental cell. Meiosis is a modified cell division, which produces gametes with half the genetic content of the parental cell. This project aims to understand specializations to the chromosome segregation machinery during meiosis that ensure the production of gametes with the correct chromosome number.

The student will focus on meiosis-specific regulation of cohesin, the molecular glue that holds chromosomes together during meiosis. Proteomic techniques will be employed to identify modifications that occur during meiosis. Genomic methods including chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by Next Generation Sequencing (ChIP-Seq) will also be used in the project. Specific mutations will be engineered using sophisticated genetic techniques, including CRISPR. Functional analysis will be performed using advanced microscopy techniques, including live cell imaging. Several potential projects are available and the exact project will be designed according to the student’s interests.

Information on the lab and publications can be found here: http://marston.bio.ed.ac.uk