The bouquet stage is universally conserved in meiosis. Centromeres become unclustered as telomeres and nuclear pores congress transiently into a limited region of the nuclear envelope, proximal to the spindle pole body (SPB). This event is coincident with meiotic recombination and represents a unique example of nuclear reorganization. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process remain poorly understood. Existing GFP methods have been adapted for monitoring telomere, nuclear pore and SPB disposition in living and fixed cells. The kinetics of bouquet formation relative .to other landmark events and the effects of mutations known to perturb specific chromosomal events have been determined. These studies will be extended towards understanding the regulatory pathways involved in progression through the. A genetic screen for novel mutants that affect bouquet progression will also be developed concurrently. These studies should provide new information about telomere and nuclear envelope dynamics, chromosome morphogenesis and chromosome/nuclear envelope interactions. In addition, since the biological role of the bouquet is unknown, basic features of nuclear behavior may emerge.
