Homologous somatic pairing
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Somatic pairing of homologous chromosomes is similar to pre- and early meiotic pairing (see article: Homologous chromosome#In meiosis), and has been observed in Diptera[1] (Drosophila), and budding yeast,[2] for example (whether it evolved multiple times in metazoans is unclear[3]). Mammals show little pairing apart from in germline cells, taking place at specific loci, and under the control of developmental signalling (understood as a subset of other long-range interchromosomal interactions such as looping, and organisation into chromosomal territories).[4]
While meiotic pairing has been extensively studied, the role of somatic pairing has remained less well understood, and even whether it is mechanistically related to meiotic pairing is unknown.[5]
Somatic homolog pairing is required for the process of transvection to occur,[6] by which an allele on one chromosome is able to influence the expression of a homologue on a different chromosome.[7] High-resolution contact maps (Hi-C) in Drosophila have indicated that homolog pairing occurs genome-wide, with more closely associated alleles being correlated to active gene expression.[8]