The oocyte becomes an egg through meiosis. The egg fertilizes with a sperm and undergoes repeated cell divisions to give rise to an entire body. We study chromosome segregation during meiosis in oocytes and during mitosis in fertilized eggs, taking advantage of techniques for high-throughput and high-resolution live imaging of mouse oocytes combined with micromanipulation and genetic engineering methods. The first cell division that oocytes undergo is meiosis I. Chromosome segregation in this division is error-prone and the rate of errors increases with maternal age. Subsequently, chromosomes are segregated in meiosis II upon fertilization, and then segregated again in mitosis after DNA replication. We will reveal distinct mechanisms for chromosome segregation during these subsequent but fundamentally different cell divisions. By uncovering the mechanism of chromosome segregation during meiosis I in oocytes, we understand why oocyte meiosis I is error-prone and related to age. Comparing the mechanisms in meiosis I with those found in meiosis II and mitosis may provide insights into the capacity of cells to flexibly use different strategies for chromosome segregation. The findings will be exploited to collaborative studies with reproductive medicine.
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tkitajima[at]cdb.riken.jp