Maternal Meiotic Drive of Mouse Chromosome 11

描述(由申请人提供)：孟德尔等传定律 每个个体携带的两种不同形式的基因几乎是 万能的。事实上，每个基因的两种形式都被传递到 在几乎所有的情况下，一个人的一半的后代表明 很少有减数分裂的“公平性”受到损害。我们有 在雌性小鼠(称为母鼠)中发现了一个“不公平减数分裂”的例子 减数分裂驱动)，导致优先传递一种基因 会导致下一代早期胚胎死亡。我们建议， 发生这种情况的机制包括形成一个额外的“卵子” 在携带胚胎致死基因的染色体上的附着位置。 额外的位点使携带该基因的染色体的可能性增加一倍 致死基因将被传递给卵子(相应地，只有 携带另一种基因的染色体很可能是 传给卵子)。我们计划确定这个附着点，在 分子水平，决定它是如何产生的，以及哪些基因参与了它的 创造。控制这些站点的活动的能力可能允许人们 控制某些特征被遗传的频率。此外, 这个女性“不公平减数分裂”的例子有一个独特的组成部分，因为 卵子中的“不公平减数分裂”是由基因或基因产物引起的。 由精子提供。我们建议识别这种父性基因并确定 它是如何影响卵子中染色体的分离的。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Mendel's law of equal transmission of the two alternative forms of a gene that are carried by each individual is nearly universal. The fact that the two forms of each gene are each transmitted to one-half of an individual's offspring in almost all cases indicates that there are few instances in which the "fairness" of meiosis is compromised. We have uncovered an example of "unfair meiosis" in female mice (called maternal meiotic drive) that results in the, preferential transmission of a gene that causes early embryo lethality in the following generation. We propose that the mechanism by which this occurs involves the formation of an additional "egg attachment site" on the chromosome that carries the embryonic lethal gene. This additional site makes it twice as likely that the chromosome carrying the lethal gene will be transmitted to the egg (and, correspondingly only half as likely that the chromosome carrying the other form of the gene will be transmitted to the egg). We plan to identify this attachment site, at the molecular level, determine how it is created and what genes are involved in its creation. The ability to control the activity of such sites may allow one to manipulate the frequency with which some traits are inherited. In addition, this example of "unfair meiosis" in females has a unique component because the onset of "unfair meiosis" in the egg is brought about by a gene or gene product provided by the sperm. We propose to identify this paternal gene and determine how it is able to influence the segregation of chromosomes in the egg.