Synaptonemal complex protein 3 is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respon ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''SYCP3''
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...
.
It is a component of the
synaptonemal complex
The synaptonemal complex (SC) is a protein structure that forms between homologous chromosomes (two pairs of sister chromatids) during meiosis and is thought to mediate synapsis and recombination during meiosis I in eukaryotes. It is currently ...
formed between homologous chromosomes during the
prophase
Prophase () is the first stage of cell division in both mitosis and meiosis. Beginning after interphase, DNA has already been replicated when the cell enters prophase. The main occurrences in prophase are the condensation of the chromatin reti ...
of
meiosis
Meiosis (; , since it is a reductional division) is a special type of cell division of germ cells in sexually-reproducing organisms that produces the gametes, such as sperm or egg cells. It involves two rounds of division that ultimately ...
.
Gene family
SYCP3 is also known as COR1. It contains a conserved coiled-coil domain that is also found in the FAM9 (
FAM9A,
FAM9B) family of proteins, found on the human X chromosome.
Several SYCP3-like proteins are found on mice sex chromosomes. They are assigned names starting with Slx or Sly depending on the chromosome they are linked to. Slx/Slxl1 and Sly are neofunctionalized ones that have opposite effects on gene expression and epigenetic modifications, and each gene reduces the viability and mobility (via
spindlin binding) of sperms containing the other sex chromosome, tilting the sex ratio to their own favor. Over time they are duplicated to balance out each other's effects.
References
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