Cutting-Edge Meiotic Analyses in Vertebrates

• Grant number: 24/19600-2
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: February 09, 2025
• End date: March 23, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo de Bello Cioffi
• Grantee: Marcelo de Bello Cioffi
• Visiting researcher: Anatolie Marta
• Visiting researcher institution: Academy Of Sciences Of Moldova/Asm,
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Meiosis is one of the fundamental features of eukaryotes, with its underlying mechanisms highly conserved across taxa. A crucial aspect of meiosis is chromosomal pairing, a complex and tightly regulated process that ensures homologous chromosomes align and recombine. This process is vital for genetic recombination and genomic reshuffling during gamete formation, leading to genetic diversity in offspring. Typically, chromosomal pairing occurs between homologous chromosomes, but in the context of B and sex chromosomes, the scenario becomes more intricate. The unique pairing mechanisms observed in species with multiple sex chromosomes or B chromosomes highlight the diverse evolutionary strategies employed by different taxa to maintain genomic integrity during meiosis. However, despite all the recent advancements in the field of Cytogenetics due to the combination of modern cytogenetic and genomic tools on a variety of organisms, most studies conducted in Vertebrates focused only on mitotic chromosomes. The obtainment and application of advanced meiotic analysis (particularly in females) remains a problem for most groups. The Visiting Professor Anatolie Marta is a highly skilled specialist in the establishment of primary cell cultures from both male and female gonads as well as the application of immunofluorescence techniques to investigate gonial cells before and during meiosis. We currently represent one of the few laboratories in Brazil focused on the study of several vertebrate species, integrating cytogenetic and genomic analyses. Additionally, within a maximum of 200 km distance of São Carlos, there exist at least seven other research groups (UNESP-Bauru, UNESP-Botucatu, UNESP-Jaboticabal, CAUNESP, ICMBio-CEPTA, UNESP-Rio Claro, and UNICAMP) engaged in diverse fields of study, with projects undertaken by FAPESP scholarship recipients in aquaculture, mammal conservation, amphibian evolution, and the origin and evolution of B chromosomes. Consequently, Dr. Anatolie's visit would offer a distinctive opportunity for a theoretical and practical course and the implementation of advanced meiotic analysis across various target groups, enhancing our comprehension of sex chromosome evolution, recombination dynamics, and reproductive development in teleost fishes and hybrids. (AU)