Synaptic mutants in potato, Solanum tuberosum L. II. Concurrent reduction of chiasma frequencies in male and female meiosis of ds-1 (desynapsis) mutants

Abstract

Chiasma frequencies in pollen mother cells and megaspore mother cells from both normal and desynaptic (ds-1ds-1) diploid potato clones were estimated on the basis of chiasmate chromosome arm association in metaphase I. In desynaptic mutants both the mean chiasma and bivalent frequencies per cell and the mean chiasma frequency per bivalent proved to be significantly lower. Despite significant differences in within-cell chiasma frequency variation among and particularly between normal and desynaptic clones, no clear effects of the ds-1 gene on the distribution of chiasmata over chromosomes in a cell were detected. The distribution of chiasmata over chromosomes appeared to be more or less random in both normal and desynaptic plants, which suggests that the ds-1 gene similarly affects chiasma frequencies in all chromosomes. Genetic data reported in the literature indicate that the ds-1 gene affects both the overall chiasma frequency and the chiasma distribution along individual chromosomes rather than chiasma maintenance. Sex differences in chiasma formation were not observed among normal plants or among desynaptic mutants, which indicates that chiasma formation in male and female meiosis of potato is governed by a single control system that is similarly expressed in both sexes.Key words: Solanum, desynapsis, chiasma frequency, male meiosis, female meiosis.