Deconstructing meiosis one kinase at a time: Polo pushes past pachytene

The transition from pachytene to Meiosis I is a key regulatory point in yeast meiosis. This transition requires Ndt80, a transcription factor that commits cells to complete meiosis by expression of a diverse set of genes. In this issue of Genes & Development, Sourirajan and Lichten (pp. 2627-2632) report that CDC5, an NDT80-regulated gene encoding yeast polo-like kinase, is sufficient for Holliday junction resolution and exit from pachytene. Determining the meiotic targets of Cdc5 therefore provides a new approach for identifying a eukaryotic Holliday resolvase.