African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 2 (12), pp.516-520, December 2003

ISSN 1684-5315  © 2003 Academic Journals

Minireview

Highlights of meiotic genes in Arabidopsis thaliana

F. Consiglio¹, C. Conicella¹ , L. Monti¹ and D. Carputo^2*

¹CNR-IGV, Institute of Plant Genetics, Research Division Portici, Via Università 133, 80055 Portici, Italy

²DISSPA, Dept. of Soil, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy

*Corresponding author. Tel: ++39-081-2539225. Fax: ++39-081-7753579. E-mail: carputo@unina.it.

Accepted 15 November 2003  

Meiosis is a fascinating and complex phenomenon and, despite its central role in sexual plant reproduction, little is known on the molecular mechanisms involved in this process. We review the progress made in recent years using Arabidopsis thaliana mutants for isolating meiotic genes. In particular, emphasis is given on the description of mutants affecting either the regular commitment to meiosis, or the mechanisms of synapsis, recombination, and cytokinesis. We believe that the isolation of genes affecting some crucial meiotic events may represent the first step towards the practical use of meiotic genes in plant breeding. The introduction of deviations in the meiotic pathway into sexual crops will have important implications for the exploitation of apomixis and sexual polyploidization.

Key words: Arabidopsis, meiosis, mutants, fertility.