Turning Meiosis into Mitosis
Isabelle d'Erfurth
and
Sylvie Jolivet
and
Nicole Froger
and
Olivier Catrice
and
Maria Novatchkova
and
Raphaël Mercier
PLoS Biology - 2009 via Local CrossRef
Keywords:
Apomixis, or asexual clonal reproduction through seeds, is of immense interest due to its potential application in agriculture. One key element of apomixis is apomeiosis, a deregulation of meiosis that results in a mitotic-like division. We isolated and characterised a novel gene that is directly involved in controlling entry into the second meiotic division. By combining a mutation in this gene with two others that affect key meiotic processes, we created a genotype called MiMe in which meiosis is totally replaced by mitosis. The obtained plants produce functional diploid gametes that are genetically identical to their mother. The creation of the MiMe genotype and apomeiosis phenotype is an important step towards understanding and engineering apomixis.