The long range goal of the research program is to determine the molecular mechanisms by which genes controlling meiotic development exert their effects. The process of meiosis plays a central role in generating genetic variation and promoting proper chromosome transmission during sexual reproduction. Although aberrant meiotic behavior has dramatic consequences for fertility and species survival, relatively little is presently understood about the mechanisms that control and coordinate specific meiotic events, resulting in normal gametic development. The experimental approach of the proposed research is to utilize baker's yeast, a highly manipulable simple eucaryote, as a model system in a molecular analysis of a series of genes with well-characterized effects of meiosis. The research plan consists of (1) cloning these genes; (2) structural definition of the wild type and mutant alleles; (3) identification and characterization of the primary gene products; (4) localization of the protein products in the meiotic cell; (5) structural alteration of the genes and associated regulatory regions to assess their roles in meiosis, their interactions with other meiotic gene functions and their roles in the process of mitosis; and (6) a search for homologous genes and gene functions in other eucaryotes.
