Finding the Correct Partner: The Meiotic Courtship

Figure 4

Diagrammatic representation of two homologous chromosomes with an inversion (inv) in heterozygous condition, in early meiosis. The positional change of a heterochromatic chromomere from distal to proximal denotes the length of the inversion. The normal and inverted homologous arms show an antiparallel orientation in early leptotene. In early zygotene, the subdistal chromomere of the normal arm pairs with its proximal counterpart in the inverted chromosome after movements concurrent with chromosome elongation.