Abstract
Meiosis is the unique process by which haploid (n) germ cells are produced by two successive cell divisions without an intervening round of DNA replication (Fig. 9.1). This is one of the two key events in the alternation of the haploid and diploid phases of the human life cycle, the other being fusion of haploid egg and sperm (fertilization) to produce a diploid (2n) zygote. Two key features of the first meiotic division are close pairing of homologous chromosomes and their segregation to opposite poles of the meiotic spindle. The first meiotic division, MI, is called the reduction division, because it reduces the chromosome number from 2n to n. Sister chromatids separate from each other only at the second, or etfuational, meiotic division, Mil. This yields haploid cells that differentiate into ova in females and sperm in males.
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Miller, O.J., Therman, E. (2001). Main Features of Meiosis. In: Human Chromosomes. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0139-4_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0139-4_9
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