Investigation of chromosome pairing, synaptonemal complex formation and reciprocal genetic exchange during meiosis in arabidopsis thaliana

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

I seek NSERC funds to study chromosomes during meiosis. Higher organisms such as humans are diploids.  This means human adults have two complete sets of chromosomes; one set received from the mother and one set is received from the father. The counterpart chromosomes received from each parent are called homologous chromosomes.  For example an individual gets a chromosome #1 from mom and another copy of chromosome #1 from dad.  These two copies of chromosome #1 are called homologous chromosomes.  An individual gets a chromosome #2 from mom and another copy of chromosome #2 from dad, etc.  Diploid organisms therefore have two versions of each of its different chromosomes.     Even though diploid organisms have two complete sets of chromosomes, they must only give one complete set (called a haploid set) to their offspring.  Diploid adults produce haploid sets for their gametes.  Gametes from each parent can combine during fertilization to form diploid zygotes.  Meiosis is the specialized nuclear division whereby the chromosome number is reduced (from diploid to haploid number) in anticipation of fertilization.     During meiosis, homologous chromosomes pair up and exchange homologous segments.  The exchanges are vital to the production of functional gametes. I propose to study chromosome organization for the pairing up and exchange processes in the higher plant Arabidopsis thaliana, and to characterize the meiotic function of individual genes.     The work can further our understanding of the processes of chromosome pairing and reciprocal genetic exchange. Because these processes are vital to normal sexual reproduction, they are highly conserved.  Understanding meiosis in Arabidopsis can lead to a better understanding of meiosis in both plants and animals.  Errors in meiosis lead to the production of genetically imbalanced gametes that can lead to birth defects or death.  Understanding meiosis can also lead to better strategies for plant and livestock breeding programs.  Thus the proposed research on meiosis could impact upon such diverse problems as crop and livestock improvement, and understanding birth defects in humans.