Analysing Arabidopsis meiotic recombination mutants

Abstract

Meiotic recombination plays a critical role in the generation of genetic diversity and proper chromosome segregation in plants, and understanding its underlying mechanisms in model organisms such as Arabidopsis thaliana provides valuable insights into plant biology and breeding. The present study aimed to elucidate the functional significance of previously uncharacterised genes At1g04730, AT5G11780, and AT4G17760 in the process of meiotic recombination in Arabidopsis. Genotyping of tagged mutants in genes At1g04730 and AT5G11780 was conducted by PCR to identify homozygotes. There were no available tagged mutants for AT4G17760 so CRISPR/Cas12 was used to mutate the gene. The meiotic phenotype of homozygous tagged mutants was analyzed. A range of meiotic phenotypes were observed including chromosome segregation abnormalities. The study highlighted the importance of maintaining chromosomal stability during meiosis, with certain mutants exhibiting increased susceptibility to chromosomal aberrations.