Dissecting plant meiosis using Arabidopsis thaliana mutants

Abstract

Meiosis is a key stage in the life cycle of all sexually reproducing eukaryotes. In plants, specialized reproductive cells differentiate from somatic tissue. These cells then undergo a single round of DNA replication followed by two rounds of chromosome division to produce haploid cells that then undergo further rounds of mitotic division to produce the pollen grain and embryo sac. A detailed cytological description of meiosis has been built up over many years, based on studies in a wide range of plants. Until recently, comparable molecular studies have proved too challenging, however, a number of groups are beginning to use Arabidopsis thaliana to overcome this problem. A range of meiotic mutants affecting key stages in meiosis have been identified using a combination of screening for plants exhibiting reduced fertility and, more recently, using a reverse genetics approach. These are now providing the means to identify and characterize the activity of key meiotic genes in flowering plants.

T-Loop Phosphorylation ofArabidopsisCDKA;1 Is Required for Its Function and Can Be Partially Substituted by an Aspartate Residue

“…In T161D plants, the meiotic program continues, although the genetic material is unequally distributed. This observation is consistent with previously described mutants that displayed defects in meiosis yet continued with the separation and distribution program (Caryl et al, 2003).…”

MEIOTIC F-BOX Is Essential for Male Meiotic DNA Double-Strand Break Repair in Rice

“…It has been generally thought that plants may not have a typical pachytene checkpoint because most plant meiotic mutants are able to complete the meiotic program and produce abnormal microspores (Caryl et al, 2003). However, recent studies on meiosis arrested at leptotene (mel2) and ameiotic1 (am1) mutants suggest the existence of a meiotic leptotene/zygotene checkpoint in plants (Nonomura et al, 2011).…”

OsAM1 is required for leptotene-zygotene transition in rice

“…Therefore, meiosis is important for sexually reproducing organisms. It facilitates the maintenance of the stable chromosome number of a species, and more importantly produces genetic variations in gametes, which in turn promote genetic and phenotypic variations in its offspring [2].…”