Meiotic restitution, including first division restitution and second division restitution, leads to unreduced gametes and thus polyploidization in plant species. The mechanism and genetic control of meiotic restitution are not well understood, mainly due to the complexity of the trait.
This project aims to make a breakthrough in revealing the cytological and genetic basis of first division restitution through the application of novel research strategies. We will partition first division restitution into individual meiotic events and identify the genes conditioning the specific meiotic events. This will be done by characterizing the behavior of both chromosomes and spindles during meiosis in the haploids of the durum wheat cultivar 'Langdon' (Triticum turgidum, 2n=4x=28, AABB) exhibiting first division restitution under haploid conditions, the wild tetraploid wheat accession 'Israel-A' (T. dicoccoides, 2n=4x=28, AABB) without first division restitution, and the entire set of 14 Langdon-Israel A disomic substitution lines. Outcomes will include cytological characterization of first division restitution in Langdon cultivar, identification of the chromosome(s) carrying the first division restitution genes, and investigation of individual meiotic events specified by the first division restitution genes.
First division restitution is an aberrant meiotic process related to the origin and evolution of polyploid species. Knowledge generated from this project will facilitate manipulation of meiotic events and ploidy levels for various genetic studies and genetic improvement of plants, such as doubled haploid production and development of man-made polyploid species. Furthermore, we will integrate the research activities and results from this project into teaching and training. This will assist students in better understanding the basics of genetics-gene transmission and variation of ploidy levels in plant species.
