Genetic Control of Male Meiosis in Arabidopsis

9728772 Ma减数分裂是一种特殊的细胞分裂形式，对所有真核生物的有性生殖至关重要。植物是研究减数分裂的极好系统，因为进行减数分裂的细胞容易接近，并且多个雄性减数分裂几乎同时发生。从拟南芥1176 - 306中分离出一个雄性不育突变体，其表型是产生大小不等的小孢子，并含有不同量的DNA。突变基因已被鉴定和表征。由该基因编码的蛋白质与人类和酵母SKP1蛋白质具有很强的相似性，已知SKP1蛋白质是有丝分裂细胞周期的调节因子，但尚未确定是否参与减数分裂周期。这表明拟南芥SKP1基因是雄性减数分裂所必需的。这一假设将通过使用遗传学、细胞学和生物化学方法详细描述拟南芥SKP1突变体，并通过使用分子、细胞生物学和生物化学方法分析SKP1基因和基因产物来进行测试。现有的突变体的特点是使用荧光显微镜和SKP1 RNA和蛋白质表达模式确定使用原位杂交和免疫定位。将测试SKP1在其他阶段有丝分裂中的可能功能。将确定SKP1和其他基因之间的遗传相互作用，并研究蛋白质水平上的相互作用。将鉴定skp1突变体的抑制子和增强子。SKP1基因座的其他等位基因以及其他相关基因将被分离和表征。 这些研究将使人们更深入地了解分子水平上减数分裂的遗传控制，这是包括植物在内的所有生物体有性生殖的核心机制。

9728772 Ma Meiosis is a specialized form of cell division that is essential for the sexual reproduction of all eukaryotic organisms. Plants are excellent systems to study meiosis because the cells that undergo meiosis are easily accessible and multiple male meioses occur nearly synchronously. A male sterile mutant has been isolated from Arabidopsis, 1176-306, whose phenotype is the production of microspores of variable size and containing variable amounts of DNA. The mutated gene has been identified and characterized. The protein encoded by the gene has strong similarity to human and yeast SKP1 proteins, which are known to be regulators of the mitotic cell cycle, but have not yet been determined to be involved in the meiotic cycle. It is proposed that the Arabidopsis SKP1 gene is essential for male meiosis. That hypothesis will be tested by characterizing the Arabidopsis skp1 mutant in detail using genetic, cytological and biochemical methods and by analyzing the SKP1 gene and gene product using molecular, cell biological and biochemical approaches. The existing mutants will be characterized using fluorescence microscopy and the SKP1 RNA and protein expression patterns determined using in situ hybridization and immunolocalization. Possible SKP1 function in mitosis at other stages will be tested. Genetic interactions between SKP1 and other genes will be determined and interactions at the protein level investigated. Suppressors and enhancers of the skp1 mutants will be identified. Other alleles of the SKP1 locus as well as other related genes will be isolated and characterized. These studies will result in greater insight into the genetic control of meiosis at the molecular level, a mechanism which is central to sexual reproduction in all organisms, including plants.