First published online November 3, 2003
Development 130, e2401 (2003)
Copyright © 2003 The Company of Biologists Limited
Meiosis checked out in plants
Unlike animals, plants have no primordial germline. Instead, specialised
meiotic cells (sporocytes), which are required for sexual reproduction, are
derived de novo from subepidermal cells in the anthers and ovules. Sporocytes
then undergo meiosis to form multicellular haploid gametophytes, but little is
known about the control of meiotic progression in plants. Now, Reddy et al.
identify DUET, a gene that is required for chromosome organisation
and meiotic progression in Arabidopsis, and which encodes a putative
plant homeo domain (PHD) finger protein (see
p. 5975). They describe how the
duet mutation causes male sterility, defective chromosome
organisation and the arrest of male meiocytes at metaphase I. The
duet mutation interacts genetically with the dyad mutation
to produce very strong defects in male meiosis. DYAD is a gene
required for female meiotic progression, and for chromosome cohesion during
male and female meiosis. Further analysis of meiosis defective mutants should,
say the researchers, provide information on chromosomal checkpoints in plants
and indicate how these checkpoints compare with those in animals.
Related articles in Development:
- The DUET gene is necessary for chromosome organization and progression during male meiosis in Arabidopsis and encodes a PHD finger protein
- Thamalampudi Venkata Reddy, Jagreet Kaur, Bhavna Agashe, Venkatesan Sundaresan, and Imran Siddiqi
Development 2003 130: 5975-5987.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
