Oberseminar WS 2010 Sellmann

Simulation of Bouquet Formation in Meiotic Prophase

Daniel Sellmann,

University of Heidelberg

In mid-meiotic prophase chromosomes are organized in a specific pattern, called the bouquet. The chromosome ends - called telomeres - are attached to inner surface of the cell nucleus and clustered together within a limited area, causing the chromosomes to mimic the stems of flowers arranges in a bouquet. Although first reported around 1900 and studied much since then among various species, the two main questions about the bouquet remain obscure: what mechanisms cause the change in structure and what is it good for in context of cell cycle? We use Monte Carlo Simulation of a well established Polymer Model (Bond Fluctuation Model) to investigate whether telomere clustering relies on passive diffusion or is caused by directed motion. We will further show that Bouquet formation does not facilitate polymer disentanglement, as this has been proposed as a possible purpose. We also take the occasion to study Brownian Motion of Polymer Chains in a confined environment.