FIG. 6.
Telomere FISH (green) and simultaneous SCP3 immunostaining (red) to structurally preserved bouquet spermatocytes of normal (a and b) and Atm−/− (c and d) spermatocyte nuclei. DAPI (blue) marks the nuclear outline. (a) Leptotene/early zygotene nucleus with partially clustered telomeres and numerous axial core fragments; (b) zygotene nucleus with partially clustered telomeres and extensive synapsis; (c) polarized Atm−/− spermatocyte with clustered telomeres and aberrant large SC-protein signals at and near the telomeres (yellow indicates color overlap); (d) Atm−/− spermatocyte nucleus with clustered telomeres and aberrant synapsis (arrow denotes an SC stretch which connects at least three telomere-proximal axial cores).