(Supported by NSF MCB 9808290 to J. LaFountain) This project involves using time-lapse video LM to follow the behavior of chromosome fragments created at various stages of meiosis in living crane fly spermatocytes by laser microsurgery. The laser is used to sever chromosomes into fragments that contain kinetochores, telomeres, or fragments that lack both of these structures. The behavior of these various fragments is then followed in vivo by video LM. The goal is to characterize the non-kinetochore based transport properties of meiotic spindles, and to compare these properties with those already known for plants and animal somatic cells. Preliminary data on this project that was obtained by Dr. LaFountains during his visits in 1997 has been used to obtain NSF support for an expanded effort. As a result he will be spending the next 18 months at the BMIRR facility, on sabbatical leave, pursuing the specific aim of his grant most of which involve laser microsurg ery on cr ane fly spermatocytes. Obviously, this work must be conducted at our facility because we have the only DIC based laser microsurgery system in the Nation. Last year this work was abstracted as: LaFountain, J. R., R.W. Cole and C. L. Rieder. (1997) Laser microsurgery of anaphase chromosomes in crane-fly spermatocytes: Kinetochore-independent movement of telomere-containing chromosome fragments. Molec. Biol. Cell 8:171a.
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