Production of Viable Gametes without Meiosis in Maize
April 1, 2011| |
Apomixis is a form of asexual reproduction wherein plants bypass meiosis and fertilization and develop offsprings that are genetically identical to their mother. To evaluate the possibility of inducing apomixis in maize, Manjit Singh from Plant Genome and Development Laboratory, France, and other scientists set up a genetic screen for identification of dominant mutants that copy apomictic development.
They identified a dominant mutation resulting in the formation of functional unreduced gametes. The mutant exhibits defective chromatin condensation during cell division which led to a failure to segregate chromosomes. The mutated locus codes for protein AGO104, which accumulates in body cells near the female meiocyte. This protein is similar with the characteristics of Arabidopsis thaliana AGO9 protein, but AGO9 repress germ cell fate in somatic tissues, while AGO104 in germ cells.
The findings of this study suggest that interfering with the repression mechanism of the proteins could lead to apomixis-like phenotypes in maize.
Read the abstract at http://www.plantcell.org/content/23/2/443.abstract.
| |
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- FAO Seed Treaty Carries Hope, Addressing Country Contributions, Farmers Concerns
- Address 'Slow-Onset' Impacts of Climate Changes on Food Production, Says FAO
- Global Actions Needed to Prevent Food Crises
- African Countries Urged to Speed up the Passage of Biosafety Legislations
- UC Riverside Researcher Receives $9 Million USDA Grant to Study Potato and Tomato Disease
- Key Plant Traits Yield More Sugar for Biofuels
- Clue on How Plants Fight Disease
- UK Researchers Find a Key to Plant Disease Resistance
- Refuge Confusion and Compliance Remain Key Concerns for Corn Producers
- USDA Awards Research Grant to Virginia Tech to Work on Soybean
- India to Start GM Rubber Trials Soon
- Study Into New Fungus to Shape Pea Disease Strategies
- Bangladesh Ag Minister Calls for Biotech Research
- U.S., China Meet on Biotech Patenting
- EC-JRC Publishes 8 New Summary Notifications
- Neiker-Tecnalia Aims to Use New Genetic Tools to Improve the Potato
-
Research Highlights
- Production of Viable Gametes without Meiosis in Maize
- Molecular Tagging of a Rust Resistance Gene in Cultivated Groundnut
- Researchers Investigate the Effect of Iron Chelator on Fire Blight Susceptibility of Pear
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- Scientists Discover a Bacteria's Suicide Program
- Algae Holds Promise for Nuclear Clean-Up
-
Announcements
- Change of Venue – ISTA Annual Meeting 2011 to be Held in Zurich, Switzerland
- International Conference on Agricultural, Biosystems, Biotech, and Biological Engineering
- Call for Papers: 242nd ACS National Meeting and Exposition, Denver
-
Resources
- Plastid Biotechnology for Crop Production: Present Status and Future Perspectives
- Open Source Biotechnology Platforms for Global Health and Development: Two Case Studies
- Food Risk Communication Website
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (April 24, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (April 24, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet