Drosophila Oocytes as a Model for Understanding Meiosis: An Educational Primer to Accompany “Corolla Is a Novel Protein That Contributes to the Architecture of the Synaptonemal Complex of Drosophila”

SUMMARY Achieving a thorough understanding of the events and ramifications of meiosis is a common learning objective for undergraduate introductory biology, genetics, and cell biology courses. Meiosis is also one of the most challenging cellular processes for students to conceptualize. Connecting textbook descriptions of meiosis to current research in the field of genetics in a problem-based learning format may aid students’ understanding of this important biological concept. This primer seeks to assist students and instructors by providing an introductory framework upon which to integrate discussions of current meiosis research into traditional genetics or cell biology curriculum. Related article in GENETICS: Collins, K. et al., 2014 Corolla Is a Novel Protein That Contributes to the Architecture of the Synaptonemal Complex of Drosophila. Genetics 198: 219–228.