SYNAPSIS, DESYNAPSIS, AND FORMATION OF POLYCOMPLEX-LIKE AGGREGATES IN MALE MEIOSIS OF PALES-FERRUGINEA (DIPTERA, TIPULIDAE)

Meiotic prophase in Pales ferruginea spermatocytes was studied by means of 3D electron microscopical reconstruction. Chromosomes in early prophase nuclei from freshly hatched IVth instar larvae were found to be partially synapsed at several sites along the genome. The synaptic regions are distributed more or less homogeneously throughout the nucleus, i.e., they are not preferentially located. The average lengths of the synaptic regions (length of synaptonemal complex fragments, SC) were 0.62, 0.73, 0.86, and 1.0 μm in four different nuclei. Unpaired axial cores were not observed, neither in nuclei with partially synapsed chromosomes nor in nuclei devoid of SC fragments. - Chromosomes in diplotene nuclei from 7-8 days old IVth instar larvae were also found to be partially synapsed, revealing SC fragments with average lengths of 1.6 and 1.95 μm in two nuclei analysed. The longest SC fragments observed in diplotene were 3-6.5 μm. Diplotene SCs show signs of disintegration. Unpaired axial cores do not occur. The number and the average length of SC fragments decreases towards early diakinesis. During this stage the formation of polycomplex-like aggregates (PC) begins. In later diakinesis each nucleus contains one (occasionally two) PC, while SC fragments are absent. - The observations were interpreted as follows: 1. Due to the absence of unpaired cores early prophase in Pales is difficult to relate to the typical stages of lepto- and zygotene as observed in other organisms. Synapsis seems to begin at many sites along the chromosomes. Since zipper-like alignment of cores does not occur, the entire SC structure evidently becomes assembled de novo during synapsis. 2. During desynapsis in diplotene the SCs seem to become gradually distintegrated into molecular subunits up to diakinesis. 3. The integration of SC material into PCs in diakinesis may be understood as a crystallization process from a pool of molecular subunits. © 1979 Springer-Verlag.