Genetic Control of Meiosis in Plants

The genes controlling meiotic progression in plants and not affecting mitotic progression are most widely studied in maize Zea mays and cruciferous plant Arabidopsis thaliana. These include the genes controlling the differentiation of somatic cells into sporogenous ones and meiosis-initiating genes, genes encoding meiosis-specific proteins of chromosomes and synaptonemal complexes, genes of mediator proteins and enzymes of meiotic DNA recombination and crossover, and genes controlling meiosis-specific behavior of centromeres and the course of two meiotic divisions. A large number of such genes have been cloned and studied at the molecular level. The studies of meiotic genes in rice Oriza sativa are actively developing, while studies of corresponding genes in barley Hordeum vulgare, rye Secale cereale, tomato Solanum lycopersicum, and hexaploid wheat Triticum aestivum are less advanced. To identify meiotic genes, chemical and insertional mutagenesis, genetic and cytological analysis, genomic and proteomic studies, methods of reverse genetics, and bioinformatics are used.