The relationship between synapsis and recombination: two different views

Abstract

Although remarkable advances in the understanding of the meiotic process have been achieved in the last few years, the relationship between pairing (alignment of homologous chromosomes), synapsis (intimate association of homologous chromosomes in the synaptonemal complex — SC) and recombination has not been precisely defined. Studies on budding yeast have challenged the traditional view of the SC as a structural support of the recombinational machinery as in yeast early steps in the recombination pathway not only precede SC formation but determine it. On these grounds, recombination should be required for synapsis. This review analyses the experimental evidence concerning the controversial relationship between synapsis and recombination.