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Prophase I: Synapsis and the Synaptonemal Complex

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In prophase I, homologous chromosomes pair tightly through synapsis, held together by a protein lattice called the synaptonemal complex.

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A maternal and paternal homolog align gene-for-gene along their length, zipped together by the synaptonemal complex.

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Synapsis pairs homologous chromosomes, not sister chromatids — those are already joined from replication.