Yun, Y., Ikami, K., Do, D., Guo, Z., Leem, J., Bekele, H., Mogessie, B., and Hunter, N. (2026). A cohesion optimum underlies chromosome segregation fidelity in oocytes. Preprint: bioRxiv 2026.05.11.723885; doi: 10.64898/2026.05.08.723885
Milburn, A., Kulkarni, D., Espejo-Serrano, C., Pachon-Penalba, M., Williams, M.E., Nicol, J.P.O., Debilio, S., Gurusaran, M., Dunce, J.M., Adams, I.R., McClurg, U., Hunter, N., and Davies, O. (2026). Molecular architecture of meiotic pro-crossover factor HEI10 reveals coupling of higher-order assembly and ubiquitin chain formation. Preprint: bioRxiv 2026.05.10.723602; doi: 10.64898/2026.05.08.723602
Hu, M., Munakata, Y., Yeh, Y, Hunter, N., Schultz, R.M., and Namekawa, S.H. (2026). Polycomb shapes active chromatin and promoter bivalency during ovarian reserve formation and activation. Preprint: bioRxiv 2026.04.22.720278; doi: 10.64898/2026.04.22.720278
Kumar, S.L. Beniwal, R., Mohanty, A., Kumar, A., Kumari, A., Gandham, R. K., Hunter, N., and Prasada Rao, H.B.D. (2026). SUMO modulates meiotic crossover rates between and within vertebrate species. Preprint: bioRxiv 2026.03.26.714374; doi: 10.64898/2026.03.26.714374
Yun, Y., Qiao H., White, M., Sandu, S., Qiu, W., Bourne, S., Desphande, A., Shubhang, B., Sharma, A., Bailey, L., Tran, H., Van, B., Prasada Rao, H.B.D.,and Hunter, N. (2026). SUMO mediates the coordinate regulation of meiotic chromosome length and crossover rate. Preprint: bioRxiv 2026.03.10.710713; doi: 10.64898/2026.03.10.710713
Laronda M.M., Tsui E., Saunders D., Lu L., Kennedy T., Lee S., Filip S., Faull P., Hunter N., Rowell E., Gao R. (2026). Primary human ovarian interstitial cells contribute to murine follicle growth through follicle-interstitial paracrine crosstalk. Preprint: Res Sq; doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7593401/v1. PMID: 41041526
Priyadarshini P., Survi M., Yazidi Mouloud W.E., Bohn R., Ballet S., Hunter N., Volkov A.N., Bouuaert C.C. (2026) Recruitment of Mre11 to recombination sites during meiosis. Nat Commun. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-71310-5. PMID: 41946721.
Hu, M., Munakata, Y., Yeh, Y., Dani, R., Wang, H., Hunter, N., Schultz, R.M., Namekawa, S.H. (2026). Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 primes non-growing oocytes for growth and early embryogenesis. Cell Res. doi: 10.1038/s41422-026-01232-w. PMID: 41731163.
De Muyt A, Lee S, Khanal S, Dal Toe L, Adam C, Mercier R, Borde V, Hunter N, Robert T. HEIP1 orchestrates pro-crossover protein activity during mammalian meiosis. (2025). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 122(43):e2515747122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2515747122. PMCID: PMC12582315.
Tang S., Hariri S., Bohn R., McCarthy J.E., Koo J., Pourhosseinzadeh M., Nguyen E., Liu N., Ma C., Lu H., Lee M., Hunter N. (2025). Protecting double-Holliday junctions ensures crossing over during meiosis. Nature doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09555-1. PMID: 40993396.
Ito M., Yan Y., Kulkarni D., Sandhu S., Nuñez B., Hu L., Lee K., Lim N., Hirota R., Prendergast R., Huang C., Huang I., and Hunter N. (2025). Distinct and interdependent functions of three RING proteins regulate recombination during mammalian meiosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 122(2):e2412961121. PMID: 39761402.
Yun Y, Lee S, So C, Manhas R, Kim C, Wibowo T, Hori M, and Hunter N. (2022) Oocyte Development and Quality in Young and Old Mice following Exposure to Atrazine. Environmental Health Perspectives. 130(11):117007. doi: 10.1289/EHP11343. PMCID: PMC9651182.
This publication was highlighted in the Science Selection article: Aged before Their Time: Atrazine and Diminished Egg Quality in Mice. Environmental Health Perspectives 2022 130:12 CID: 124001
Hu M, Yeh YH, Munakata Y, Abe H, Sakashita A, Maezawa S, Vidal M, Koseki H, Hunter N, Schultz RM, Namekawa SH. (2022). PRC1-mediated epigenetic programming is required to generate the ovarian reserve. Nat Commun. 10;13(1):4510. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-31759-6. PMCID: PMC9365831.
Regan-Mochrie G, Hoggard T, Bhagwat N, Lynch G, Hunter N, Remus D, Fox CA, Zhao X. (2022). Yeast ORC sumoylation status fine-tunes origin licensing. Genes Dev. doi: 10.1101/gad.349610.122. PMID: 35926881.
Sandhu S.†, Sou, L.F. Salmon L.J., Hunter J.E., Wilson C.L., Perkins N.D., Hunter N., Davies O.R., McClurg U.L. (2021).Centrosome dysfunction associated with somatic expression of the synaptonemal complex protein TEX12. Communications Biology4(1):1371. doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-02887-4. PMCID: PMC8654964
† Sumit Sandhu from the Hunter lab is joint first author.
He, W., Verhees, G., Bhagwat, N., Yang, Y., Kulkarni, D., Lombardo, Z., Lahiri, S., Roy, P., Zhuo, J., Dang, B., Snyder, A., Shastry, S., Moezpoor, M., Alocozy, L., Lee, K.G., Painter, D., Mukerji, I., Hunter, N. (2021) SUMO Fosters Assembly of the MutSƔ Complex to Facilitate Meiotic Crossing Over. Developmental Cell. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.06.012. PMID: 34214491
Bozdag, G.O., Ono, J., Denton, J.A., Karakoc, E., Hunter, N., Leu, J-Y. and Greig, D. (2021). Breaking a species barrier by enabling hybrid recombination. Current Biology 31(4):R180-R181.
Bhagwat, N. R., Owens, S. N., Ito, M., Boinapalli, J. V., Poa, P., Ditzel, A., Kopparapu, S., Mahalawat, M., Davies, O. R., Collins, S. R., Johnson, J. R., Krogan, N. J., & Hunter, N. (2021). SUMO is a pervasive regulator of meiosis. eLife, 10, e57720.
Yun, Y., Ito, M., Sandhu, S. and and Hunter, N. (2020). Cytological monitoring of meiotic crossovers in spermatocytes and oocytes. Homologous Recombination: Methods and Protocols, Editors Andres Aguilera, PhD and Aura Carreira. Methods in Molecular Biology.2153, 267-286.
Kulkarni D, Owens S, Honda M, Ito, M, Yang Y, Corrigan M, Chen L, Quan A, Hunter N. PCNA activates the MutLɣ endonuclease to promote meiotic crossing over. Nature, 586, 623-627.
Bondarieva, A., Raveendran, K., Rao, H.B.D.P.†, Ravindranathan, R., Zorzompokou, C., Finsterbusch, F., Dereli, I., Telychko, V., Tränkner, D., Schleiffer, A., Fei, J-F., Klimova, A., Ito, M.†, Kulkarni, D.S.† Roeder, I., Hunter, N., Tóth, A. (2020). Proline-rich protein PRR19 functions with cyclin-like CNTD1 to promote meiotic crossing over in mouse. Nature Communications 18, 3101.
He, W., Rao, H., Tang, S., Bhagwat, N., Kulkarni, D. S., Ma, Y., Chang, M., Hall, C., Bragg, J. W., Manasca, H. S., Baker, C., Verhees, G. F., Ranjha, L., Chen, X., Hollingsworth, N. M., Cejka, P., & Hunter, N. (2020). Regulated Proteolysis of MutSγ Controls Meiotic Crossing Over.Molecular cell, 78(1), 168–183.e5.
Yun, Y., Wei, Z., & Hunter, N. (2019). Maternal obesity enhances oocyte chromosome abnormalities associated with aging.Chromosoma, 128(3), 413–421.
Qiao, H., Rao, H., Yun, Y., Sandhu, S., Fong, J. H., Sapre, M., Nguyen, M., Tham, A., Van, B. W., Chng, T., Lee, A., & Hunter, N. (2018). Impeding DNA Break Repair Enables Oocyte Quality Control. Molecular cell, 72(2), 211–221.e3.
Owens, S., Tang, S., & Hunter, N. (2018). Monitoring Recombination During Meiosis in Budding Yeast. Methods in enzymology, 601, 275–307.
Rao, H. B., Qiao, H., Bhatt, S. K., Bailey, L. R., Tran, H. D., Bourne, S. L., Qiu, W., Deshpande, A., Sharma, A. N., Beebout, C. J., Pezza, R. J., & Hunter, N. (2017). A SUMO-ubiquitin relay recruits proteasomes to chromosome axes to regulate meiotic recombination. Science (New York, N.Y.), 355(6323), 403–407.
Hunter N. (2017). Oocyte Quality Control: Causes, Mechanisms, and Consequences. Cold Spring Harbor symposia on quantitative biology, 82, 235–247.
Hunter N. (2015). Meiotic Recombination: The Essence of Heredity.Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology, 7(12), a016618.
DNA Recombination. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology. (2015). Edited by Stephen Kowalczykowski, Neil Hunter and Wolf-Dietrich Heyer. Cold Spring Harbor Press. Buy the book!
Tang, S., Wu, M., Zhang, R., & Hunter, N. (2015). Pervasive and essential roles of the Top3-Rmi1 decatenase orchestrate recombination and facilitate chromosome segregation in meiosis. Molecular cell, 57(4), 607–621.
Qiao, H., Prasada Rao, H. B., Yang, Y., Fong, J. H., Cloutier, J. M., Deacon, D. C., Nagel, K. E., Swartz, R. K., Strong, E., Holloway, J. K., Cohen, P. E., Schimenti, J., Ward, J., & Hunter, N. (2014). Antagonistic roles of ubiquitin ligase HEI10 and SUMO ligase RNF212 regulate meiotic recombination. Nature genetics, 46(2), 194–199.
Copsey, A., Tang, S., Jordan, P. W., Blitzblau, H. G., Newcombe, S., Chan, A. C., Newnham, L., Li, Z., Gray, S., Herbert, A. D., Arumugam, P., Hochwagen, A., Hunter, N., & Hoffmann, E. (2013). Smc5/6 coordinates formation and resolution of joint molecules with chromosome morphology to ensure meiotic divisions. PLoS genetics, 9(12), e1004071.
Lao, J. P., Cloud, V., Huang, C. C., Grubb, J., Thacker, D., Lee, C. Y., Dresser, M. E., Hunter, N., & Bishop, D. K. (2013). Meiotic crossover control by concerted action of Rad51-Dmc1 in homolog template bias and robust homeostatic regulation.PLoS genetics, 9(12), e1003978.
Sasanuma, H., Tawaramoto, M. S., Lao, J. P., Hosaka, H., Sanda, E., Suzuki, M., Yamashita, E., Hunter, N., Shinohara, M., Nakagawa, A., & Shinohara, A. (2013). A new protein complex promoting the assembly of Rad51 filaments. Nature communications, 4, 1676.
Lao, J.P., Tang, S. and Hunter, N. (2013). Native/Denaturing Two-Dimensional DNA Electrophoresis And Its Application To The Analysis Of Recombination Intermediates. In, Methods in Molecular Biology, DNA Electrophoresis: Methods and Protocols (Totowa, Humana Press).
Reynolds, A., Qiao, H., Yang, Y., Chen, J. K., Jackson, N., Biswas, K., Holloway, J. K., Baudat, F., de Massy, B., Wang, J., Höög, C., Cohen, P. E., & Hunter, N. (2013). RNF212 is a dosage-sensitive regulator of crossing-over during mammalian meiosis. Nature genetics, 45(3), 269–278.
Biswas, K., Das, R., Eggington, J.M., Qiao, H., North, S.L., Stauffer, S., Burkett, S., Betty K. Martin, B.S., Southon, E, Sizemore, S.C., Pruss, D., Bowles, K.R., Roa, B.B., Hunter, N., Tessarollo, L., Wenstrup, R.J., Byrd, R.A. and Sharan, S.K. (2012). Functional evaluation of BRCA2 variants mapping to the PALB2 binding and C-terminal DNA binding domains using a mouse ES cell–based assay. Human Molecular Genetics 21, 3993-4006.
Qiao H., Chen, J., Reynolds, A., Höög, C., Paddy, M. and Hunter, N. (2012). Interplay between centromeres, synaptonemal complex and homologous recombination during mammalian meiosis. PLoS Genetics, PLoS Genet 8(6): e1002790.
Zakheryevich, K, Tang, S., Ma, Y. and Hunter, N. (2012). Delineation of joint molecule resolution pathways in meiosis identifies a crossover-specific resolvase. Cell. 2012;149(2):334-347.
Hunter N. (2011). Double duty for Exo1 during meiotic recombination. Cell cycle (Georgetown, Tex.), 10(16), 2607–2609.
Hwang, P. Y., & Hunter, N. (2011). Mapping meiotic breaks: Spo11 oligonucleotides precisely mark the spots. Genome biology, 12(4), 111.
Zakharyevich, K., Ma, Y., Tang, S., Hwang, P. Y., Boiteux, S., & Hunter, N. (2010).Temporally and biochemically distinct activities of Exo1 during meiosis: double-strand break resection and resolution of double Holliday junctions. Molecular cell, 40(6), 1001–1015.
Hunter, N. (2010). Meiosis. The Encyclopedia of Biological Chemistry 2nd Edition, Lennarz, W. and Lane, M. (Eds), Elsevier Press, San Diego.
Lao, J. P., & Hunter, N. (2010). Trying to avoid your sister. PLoS biology, 8(10), e1000519.
Bzymek, M., Thayer, N. H., Oh, S. D., Kleckner, N., & Hunter, N. (2010). Double Holliday junctions are intermediates of DNA break repair. Nature, 464(7290), 937–941.
Oh, S. D., Jessop, L., Lao, J. P., Allers, T., Lichten, M., & Hunter, N. (2009). Stabilization and electrophoretic analysis of meiotic recombination intermediates in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 557, 209–234.
Oh, S. D., Lao, J. P., Taylor, A. F., Smith, G. R., & Hunter, N. (2008). RecQ helicase, Sgs1, and XPF family endonuclease, Mus81-Mms4, resolve aberrant joint molecules during meiotic recombination. Molecular cell, 31(3), 324–336.
Hunter N. (2008). Hop1 and the meiotic DNA-damage response. Cell, 132(5), 731–732.
Hunter N. (2008). The RecQ DNA helicases: Jacks-of-all-trades or master-tradesmen?. Cell research, 18(3), 328–330.
Shinohara, M., Oh, S. D., Hunter, N., & Shinohara, A. (2008).Crossover assurance and crossover interference are distinctly regulated by the ZMM proteins during yeast meiosis. Nature genetics, 40(3), 299–309.
Lao, J. P., Oh, S. D., Shinohara, M., Shinohara, A., & Hunter, N. (2008). Rad52 promotes postinvasion steps of meiotic double-strand-break repair. Molecular cell, 29(4), 517–524.
Oh, S. D., Lao, J. P., Hwang, P. Y., Taylor, A. F., Smith, G. R., & Hunter, N. (2007).BLM ortholog, Sgs1, prevents aberrant crossing-over by suppressing formation of multichromatid joint molecules. Cell, 130(2), 259–272.
Hunter, N. (2006). Meiotic Recombination. Topics in Current Genetics, Molecular Genetics of Recombination, Aguilera, A. and Rothstein, R. (Eds), Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, pp. 381-442.
Cromie, G. A., Hyppa, R. W., Taylor, A. F., Zakharyevich, K., Hunter, N., & Smith, G. R. (2006). Single Holliday junctions are intermediates of meiotic recombination. Cell, 127(6), 1167–1178.
Martini, E., Diaz, R. L., Hunter, N., & Keeney, S. (2006). Crossover homeostasis in yeast meiosis. Cell, 126(2), 285–295.
McDougall, A., Elliott, D. J., & Hunter, N. (2005). Pairing, connecting, exchanging, pausing and pulling chromosomes. EMBO reports, 6(2), 120–125.
Hunter, N. (2004). Meiosis. The Encyclopedia of Biological Chemistry, 1st Edition, Lennarz, W. and Lane, M. (Eds), Elsevier Press, San Diego, pp. 610-616.
Börner, G. V., Kleckner, N., & Hunter, N. (2004). Crossover/noncrossover differentiation, synaptonemal complex formation, and regulatory surveillance at the leptotene/zygotene transition of meiosis. Cell, 117(1), 29–45.
Hunter N. (2003). Synaptonemal complexities and commonalities. Molecular cell, 12(3), 533–535.
de los Santos, T., Hunter, N., Lee, C., Larkin, B., Loidl, J., & Hollingsworth, N. M. (2003). The Mus81/Mms4 endonuclease acts independently of double-Holliday junction resolution to promote a distinct subset of crossovers during meiosis in budding yeast. Genetics, 164(1), 81–94.
Blat, Y., Protacio, R. U., Hunter, N., & Kleckner, N. (2002). Physical and functional interactions among basic chromosome organizational features govern early steps of meiotic chiasma formation. Cell, 111(6), 791–802.
Hunter, N., & Kleckner, N. (2001). The single-end invasion: an asymmetric intermediate at the double-strand break to double-holliday junction transition of meiotic recombination. Cell, 106(1), 59–70.
Hunter, N., Börner, G. V., Lichten, M., & Kleckner, N. (2001). Gamma-H2AX illuminates meiosis. Nature genetics, 27(3), 236–238.
Wang, T. F., Kleckner, N., & Hunter, N. (1999). Functional specificity of MutL homologs in yeast: evidence for three Mlh1-based heterocomplexes with distinct roles during meiosis in recombination and mismatch correction. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 96(24), 13914–13919.
Hunter, N., & Borts, R. H. (1997). Mlh1 is unique among mismatch repair proteins in its ability to promote crossing-over during meiosis. Genes & development, 11(12), 1573–1582.
Chambers, S. R., Hunter, N., Louis, E. J., & Borts, R. H. (1996). The mismatch repair system reduces meiotic homeologous recombination and stimulates recombination-dependent chromosome loss. Molecular and cellular biology, 16(11), 6110–6120.
Hunter, N., Chambers, S. R., Louis, E. J., & Borts, R. H. (1996).The mismatch repair system contributes to meiotic sterility in an interspecific yeast hybrid. The EMBO journal, 15(7), 1726–1733.
Németh, A. H., Hunter, N., Coleman, M. P., Borts, R. H., Louis, E. J., & Davies, K. E. (1993). Rescue of a single yeast artificial chromosome from a cotransformation event utilizing segregation at meiosis. Genetic analysis, techniques and applications, 10(6), 123–127.
