Function of Meiosis

Why is meiosis important for organisms? Imagine this, if gametes (eggs and sperms)
were to be produced by mitotic division only and not be meiosis, then the gametes
would contain the same number of chromosomes as that of the diploid somatic cells.
Consequently, when the gametes fuse during fertilization, the resulting zygote will
contain four sets of the homologous chromosome and become tetraploid.

This scenario of “doubled chromosome content” will go on to the next generations and

this leads to chromosomal aberrations. The chromosomal number is disrupted and
unkept throughout generations. This is, in fact, a case of chromosomal abnormality.
Therefore, to keep the number of chromosomes constant in each generation, gametes
are produced by the process of meiosis, during the formation of gametes, meiotic cell
division decreases the number of chromosomes to haploid.

So what does meiosis produce? Meiosis starts with one round of replication of

chromosomal DNA, then two steps of nuclear division. As a result, four daughter nuclei
(each of them is present in a new daughter cell) are produced from the meiotic division
of the original cell. Each daughter cell nucleus contains only a haploid number of
chromosomes. The formation of gametes haploid cells occurs in two rounds: Meiosis I
and II, with DNA replication for one time only (at the S phase of interphase).

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Meiosis vs. Mitosis

What is the difference between meiosis and mitosis? Meiosis and mitosis are the two
main forms of cell division. The differences between them are summarized in Table 1.

Table 1: Main differences between meiosis and mitosis

Meiosis Mitosis

Produces haploid cells (n) Produces diploid cells (2n)

Includes two nuclear divisions Includes one nuclear division

 The product is a gamete cell The product is a somatic cell

Responsible for sexual Responsible for asexual reproduction

reproduction

Crossing over takes place No crossing over

Four cells are produced Two cells are produced

 
Figure 1: comparison between meiosis and mitosis stages. Credit: Community College
Consortium for Bioscience Credentials – Source, CC BY 3.0.
Phases of Meiosis
What is the process of meiosis? Meiosis is the process of four haploid cells formation
from a parent diploid cell. The steps of meiosis include 2 stages: meiosis I and meiosis
II. Meiosis 1 definition: the first stage in the meiotic division or the reduction division of
the meiosis. This is because the number of chromosomes is reduced to half in this
stage resulting in the formation of the haploid number of chromosomes.

Each pair of chromosomes come close together to exchange a part of their genetic
material in a process or event called a synapse. This process occurs in the early
meiosis 1 stages, particularly during prophase I.

During prophase 1 of meiosis I, the homologous pair of chromosomes come very close
together and bind tightly to each other so that they almost act as one single unit. This
unit is called a bivalent or a tetrad (indicating that each chromosome consists of two
sister chromatids so the sum of bivalent is four chromatids). The bivalent splits into two
parts after its alignment at the spindle equator so that each chromosome can move to
the spindle pole at the opposite side. Consequently, each newly formed daughter
nucleus after meiosis I is haploid since it has only one chromosome of the bivalent.

When do sister chromatids separate? Meiosis II which is the second stage of the

meiosis cell cycle is somehow similar to mitosis where the two daughter cells are
formed as a result of the separation of each two chromatids. Therefore, meiosis I is the
stage at which events unique to the meiosis cycle occurs. Nevertheless, each stage of
the meiotic division is subdivided in a manner that resembles the mitotic division, such
as prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. However, the prophase of the first
meiotic division is much more complicated and longer than the prophase of mitosis. In
contrast, the prophase of the second meiotic division is simpler and shorter.
Figure 2: meiosis diagram showing the chromosomal changes during different steps of
meiosis. Credit: National Human Genome Research Institute
Meiosis in brief: Before the cell enters meiosis, the chromosomes in a cell are
duplicated (during the interphase). In meiosis I, the chromosomes condense along the
center of the nucleus and pair with their homologues during crossing over. Next, the
pairs of chromosomes separate and move to opposite ends of the cell. The cell divides
for the first time producing two cells. The two cells will undergo meiosis II wherein both
of them divide further into two cells, each containing one of every decoupled
chromosome’s sister strands (chromatids), thus, producing four genetically different,
haploid cells.
A. Phases of meiosis I

Figure 3: homologous chromosomes.

In the cell cycle, meiosis I takes place after interphase where the chromosomes
replicate at S phase. Next, the chromosomes condense during the early stages of
prophase I. Two centrosomes travel to the two opposite poles of the cell preparing it for
nuclear division. Homologous chromosomes consist of pairs of chromatids. These
chromosomes form bivalents after pairing in order to be aligned at the spindle equator
during metaphase I. Even though homologous chromosomes are separated from each
other during anaphase, the two sister chromatids remain attached together.

Step 1: Prophase I

Figure 4: Synapse. Credit: Miguel

Gutierrez – Source, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Prophase I is the most complicated phase of meiosis I, it is further subdivided into five
stages which are: leptotene, zygotene, pachytene, diplotene, and diakinesis.

The Leptotene stage starts with the chromatin fibers condensing into thread-like-fibers
that resemble the formed structure at the beginning of mitosis. The zygotene stage
includes further condensation of the fibers that enables them to be distinguished as
individual chromosomes. As a result of synapsis, the bivalents ) form when the pairs of
chromosomes become tightly paired together. (See figure 4)
The formation of bivalent is critically important in the process of the exchange of the
DNA segments containing the genetic material between the two close chromosomes in
a process known as crossing over. This process takes place during the pachytene
stage. The corresponding segments of chromosomes exchange genetic information for
the recombination of genes.

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Compacting of chromosomes to almost less than a quarter its length occurs during the
pachytene stage as well. During the diplotene stage, near the centrosome, the two
chromosomes of each bivalent separate from each other. However, the two
chromosomes remain attached by chiasmata, which are connections present at the site
where the two homologous chromosomes exchange DNA segments.

During diplotene, the transcription resumes, chromosomes decondense, and the cell
stops the meiosis for a certain period of time. At the beginning of the final stage of
prophase I, the diakinesis, when the chromosomes are re-condensed to their maximum
state of compaction, the centrosomes move further.

The chromosomes are only attached by the chiasmata. Here, the spindles form, the
nucleoli disappear, and the nuclear envelope disappears. The formation of the meiotic
spindle starts and the disintegration of the nucleoli are indications that meiosis prophase
1 ends and meiosis metaphase 1 begins.