What shapes the crossover landscape in maize and wheat and how can we modify it

Abstract

Meiotic recombination is a process in which homologous chromosomes engage in the exchange of DNA segments, creating gametes with new genetic makeup and progeny with new traits. The genetic diversity generated in this way is the main engine of crop improvement in sexually reproducing plants. Understanding regulation of this process, particularly the regulation of the rate and location of recombination events, and devising ways of modifying them, was the major motivation of this project. The project was carried out in maize and wheat, two leading crops, in which any advance in the breeder’s toolbox can have a huge impact on food production. Preliminary work done in the USA and Israeli labs had established a strong basis to address these questions. The USA lab pioneered the ability to map sites where recombination is initiated via the induction of double-strand breaks in chromosomal DNA. It has a long experience in cytological analysis of meiosis. The Israeli lab has expertise in high resolution mapping of crossover sites and has done pioneering work on the importance of epigenetic modifications for crossover distribution. It has identified genes that limit the rates of recombination. Our working hypothesis was that an integrative analysis of double-strand breaks, crossovers, and epigenetic data will increase our understanding of how meiotic recombination is regulated and will enhance our ability to manipulate it. The specific objectives of the project were: To analyze the connection between double-strand breaks, crossover, and epigenetic marks in maize and wheat. Protocols developed for double-strand breaks mapping in maize were applied to wheat. A detailed analysis of existing and new data in maize was conducted to map crossovers at high resolution and search for DNA sequence motifs underlying crossover hotspots. Epigenetic modifications along maize chromosomes were analyzed as well. Finally, a computational analysis tested various hypotheses on the importance of chromatin structure and specific epigenetic modifications in determining the locations of double-strand breaks and crossovers along chromosomes. Transient knockdowns of meiotic genes that suppress homologous recombination were carried out in wheat using Virus-Induced Gene Silencing. The target genes were orthologs of FANCM, DDM1, MET1, RECQ4, and XRCC2.