Dynamic Reorganization of the Genome Shapes the Recombination Landscape in Meiotic Prophase

In meiotic prophase, chromosomes are organized into compacted loop arrays to promote homolog pairing and recombination. Here, we probe the architecture of the mouse spermatocyte genome in early and late meiotic prophase using Hi-C. We show that early-prophase chromosomes are arranged as linear arrays of 0.8-1 Mb loops, which extend to 1.5-2 Mb in late prophase as chromosomes compact and homologs undergo synapsis. Topologically associating domains (TADs) are lost in meiotic prophase, suggesting that assembly of the meiotic chromosome axis dramatically reduces the dynamics of chromosome-associated cohesin complexes. While TADs are lost, physically-separated A and B compartments are maintained in meiotic prophase. Moreover, meiotic DNA breaks and inter-homolog crossovers preferentially form in the gene-dense A compartment, revealing a role for chromatin organization in meiotic recombination. Finally, direct detection of inter-homolog contacts genome-wide reveals the structural basis for homolog alignment and juxtaposition by the synaptonemal complex. Hi-C detection of intra- and inter-homolog contacts in B6 x CAST F1 hybrid mouse spermatocytes. Two independent biological replicates of zygonema-stage spermatocytes, and three independent biological replicates of pachynema-stage spermatocytes.