Fruit fly study shows that reproductive cells can renew chromosome-linking proteins

A Dartmouth study conducted on fruit flies reports the first evidence in any organism that oocytes—the cells that become eggs—regularly rejuvenate the critical protein linkages that bind chromosomes together. The findings are a potentially important step toward helping women reduce their risk of pregnancy complications as they age, researchers report in the journal Current Biology. The paper is titled "Chromatin-associated cohesin turns over extensively and forms new cohesive linkages in Drosophila oocytes during meiotic prophase."