No abstract

Recombination, in the form of cross-overs (COs) and gene conversion (GC), is a highly conserved feature of meiosis from fungi to mammals. Recombination helps ensure chromosome segregation and promotes allelic diversity. Lesions in the recombination machinery are often catastrophic for meiosis, resulting in sterility. We have developed a visual assay capable of detecting Cos and GCs and measuring CO interference in Arabidopsis thaliana. This flexible assay utilizes transgene constructs encoding pollen-expressed fluorescent proteins of three different colors in the qrt1 mutant background. By observing the segregation of the fluorescent alleles in 92,489 pollen tetrads, we demonstrate (i) a correlation between developmental position and CO frequency, (ii) a temperature dependence for CO frequency, (iii) the ability to detect meiotic GC events, and (iv) the ability to rapidly assess CO interference.cross-over ͉ meiosis ͉ tetrad ͉ gene conversion ͉ interference

When exposed to the antifungal drug fluconazole, Candida albicans undergoes abnormal growth, forming three-lobed “trimeras.” These aneuploid trimeras turn out genetically variable progeny with varying numbers of chromosomes, increasing the odds of creating a drug-resistant strain.

SummaryALTERED RESPONSE TO GRAVITY1 (ARG1) and its paralog ARG1-LIKE2 (ARL2) are J-domain proteins that are required for normal root and hypocotyl gravitropism. In this paper, we show that both ARL2 and ARG1 function in a gravity signal transduction pathway with PIN3, an auxin efflux facilitator that is expressed in the statocytes. In gravi-stimulated roots, PIN3 relocalizes to the lower side of statocytes, a process that is thought to, in part, drive the asymmetrical redistribution of auxin toward the lower flank of the root. We show that ARL2 and ARG1 are required for PIN3 relocalization and asymmetrical distribution of auxin upon gravistimulation. ARL2 is expressed specifically in the root statocytes, where it localizes to the plasma membrane. Upon ectopic expression, ARL2 is also found at the cell plate of dividing cells during cytokinesis, an area of intense membrane dynamics. Mutations in ARL2 and ARG1 also result in auxin-related expansion of the root cap columella, consistent with a role for ARL2 and ARG1 in regulating auxin flux through the root tip. Together these data suggest that ARL2 and ARG1 functionally link gravity sensation in the statocytes to auxin redistribution through the root cap.