Mediate Chromosome Pairing In Meiosis

Human telomeres also play a critical role in chromosome pairing at meiosis.  Classical cytological studies have suggested that telomeres are an integral part of homologous chromosome pairing in meiosis and may be the first regions of the chromosome to pair and synapse.  The precise mechanisms underlying the process of homology search and chromosome pairing remain relatively obscure.

However, FISH studies on a variety of species have demonstrated highly conserved features of telomere behavior in meiotic prophase. In studies of humans, mouse and maize, telomeres move to the nuclear envelope and cluster into a "bouquet" formation (Bass et al., 1997; Scherthan et al., 1996).  This early event coincides with the first evidence of chromosome pairing, consistent with the notion that homology searches and pairing may initiate at the telomeres. It is intriguing to speculate that this clustering of all chromosomal telomeres provides an opportunity for nonhomologous telomere pairing which might occasionally lead to exchange events (i.e., translocations).