Our laboratory focuses on research of chromosome segregation during mammalian meiosis, with the emphasis on the changes associated with maternal aging. Chromosomal aberrations increasing with maternal age are one of the major factors responsible for the infertility, pregnancy loss, developmental disabilities and mental retardation.

In mammals, gametes are produced by the specific cell division called meiosis. In this process, a single round of DNA replication occurring during pre-meiotic S phase is followed by two cell divisions, resulting in the production of the gametes with the reduced number of chromosomes. Oocytes with incorrect number of chromosomes are probably created in two steps; the first step is an error in one of the early meiotic events, for example during recombination. The second step is usually a failure of a cell cycle control mechanism such a spindle checkpoint that regulates the actual chromosome segregation during meiosis. Such errors make it possible for the first error to appear. Since the frequency of aneuploidy is higher in female germ cells, we focus our research exclusively on oocytes. In our experiments we use mouse and pig oocytes. By using variety of techniques, allowing us to study single cells, including live cell imaging microscopy and a FRET-based biosensors, which can measure activities of different kinases in a specific compartment of a living cell, we study the global changes in meiotic program introduces by aging. Our goal is to describe specific components of the meiotic cell cycle machinery, which are changed in aged oocytes and as such are more susceptible to emphasize errors, accumulated during early meiosis.