Male Meiosis Research Articles

Chilling Requirements of Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) Cultivars Using Male Meiosis as a Dormancy Biomarker.

Apricot has undergone an important cultivar renewal during the last years in response to productive and commercial changes in the crop. The impact of the sharka disease (plum pox virus) prompted the release of cultivars resistant/tolerant to this virus, leading to a major cultivar renewal worldwide. This has caused high variability in chilling requirements on new releases that remain unknown in many cases. In many apricot-growing areas, the lack of winter chilling is becoming a limiting factor in recent years. To deal with this situation, growers must choose cultivars well adapted to their areas. However, the information available on the agroclimatic requirements of the cultivars is very limited. To fill this gap, in this work, we have characterized the chilling requirements of 13 new apricot cultivars from Europe (France, Greece and Spain) and North America (USA) in two experimental collections in Aragón (Spain). We established the chilling period using male meiosis as a biomarker for endodormancy release over two years. Chilling requirements ranged from 51.9 Chill Portions (CP) to 70.9 CP. Knowing the chilling requirements of cultivars will help growers to select suitable cultivars adapted to the chill availability of their region.

Putting the brakes on pollen wall development: A conserved negative feedback loop regulates pollen exine formation in flowering plants

Pollen grains are covered by a complex multi-layered structure, the pollen wall. Exine, the outermost layer of this wall, is made from the biopolymer sporopollenin that exhibits remarkable physical and chemical stability. In different plants, exine, which shields pollen from harsh environmental stresses, has very diverse morphologies and forms different patterns (Wang and Dobritsa, 2018). It also contributes to pollination, pollen-stigma interaction, pollen hydration, and eventual release of the pollen tube. Formation of exine begins after male meiosis when four microspores are arranged in a tetrad configuration and enclosed by the callose wall (Ariizumi and Toriyama, 2011). At this stage, microspores secrete primexine, the precursor of exine that accumulates between the microspore plasma membrane and the callose wall, providing a scaffold for exine patterning (Wang et al., 2021). As the callose wall gradually gets degraded, sporopollenin is secreted by the nearby tapetal cells and deposited onto the primexine template to form mature exine. This process requires coordination of activities between microspores and the surrounding tapetum.

Rituximab alleviates increased disomic sperm in DBA/1J mouse models of rheumatoid arthritis via restoration of redox imbalance.

Compared to the general population, patients with arthritis have a higher risk of fertility abnormalities, which have deleterious effects on both reproductive function and pregnancy outcomes, especially in patients wishing to conceive. These may be due to the disease itself or those of drug therapies. Despite the increasing use of rituximab in arthritis, limited data are available on its potential to induce aneuploidy in germ cells. Therefore, the aim of the current investigation was to determine if repeated treatment with rituximab affects the incidence of aneuploidy and redox imbalance in arthritic mouse sperm. Mice were treated with 250 mg/kg rituximab once weakly for 3 weeks, and then sperm were sampled 22 days after the last dose of rituximab. Fluorescence in situ hybridization assay with chromosome-specific DNA probes was used to evaluate the disomic/diploid sperm. Our results showed that rituximab had no aneuploidogenic effect on the meiotic stage of spermatogenesis. Conversely, arthritis induced a significantly high frequency of disomy, and treatment of arthritic mice with rituximab reduced the increased levels of disomic sperm. The occurrence of total diploidy was not significantly different in all groups. Reduced glutathione and8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine, markers of oxidative stress were significantly altered in arthritic animals, while rituximab treatment restored these changes. Additionally, arthritis severity was reduced after rituximab treatment. We conclude that rituximab may efficiently alleviate the arthritis-induced effects on male meiosis and avert the higher risk of abnormal reproductive outcomes. Therefore, treating arthritic patients with rituximab may efficiently inhibit the transmission of genetic anomalies induced by arthritis to future generations.

Unusual nuclear structures in male meiocytes of wild-type rye as revealed by volume microscopy.

During the analysis of plant male meiocytes coming from destroyed meiocyte columns (united multicellular structures formed by male meiocytes in each anther locule), a considerable amount of information becomes unavailable. Therefore, in this study intact meiocyte columns were studied by volume microscopy in wild-type rye for the most relevant presentation of 3-D structure of rye meiocytes throughout meiosis. We used two types of volume light microscopy: confocal laser scanning microscopy and non-confocal bright-field scanning microscopy combined with alcohol and aldehyde fixation, as well as serial block-face scanning electron microscopy. Unusual structures, called nuclear protuberances, were detected. At certain meiotic stages, nuclei formed protuberances that crossed the cell wall through intercellular channels and extended into the cytoplasm of neighbouring cells, while all other aspects of cell structure appeared to be normal. This phenomenon of intercellular nuclear migration (INM) was detected in most meiocytes at leptotene/zygotene. No cases of micronucleus formation or appearance of binucleated meiocytes were noticed. There were instances of direct contact between two nuclei during INM. No influence of fixation or of mechanical impact on the induction of INM was detected. Intercellular nuclear migration in rye may be a programmed process (a normal part of rye male meiosis) or a tricky artefact that cannot be avoided in any way no matter which approach to meiocyte imaging is used. In both cases, INM seems to be an obligatory phenomenon that has previously been hidden by limitations of common microscopic techniques and by 2-D perception of plant male meiocytes. Intercellular nuclear migration cannot be ignored in any studies involving manipulations of rye anthers.

Asynapsis and meiotic restitution in tomato male meiosis induced by heat stress.

Susceptibility of the reproductive system to temperature fluctuations is a recurrent problem for crop production under a changing climate. The damage is complex as multiple processes in male and female gamete formation are affected, but in general, particularly pollen production is impaired. Here, the impact of short periods of elevated temperature on male meiosis of tomato (Solanum lycopersicon L.) is reported. Meiocytes in early stage flower buds exposed to heat stress (>35°C) exhibit impaired homolog synapsis resulting in partial to complete omission of chiasmata formation. In the absence of chiasmata, univalents segregate randomly developing unbalanced tetrads and polyads resulting in aneuploid spores. However, most heat-stressed meiotic buds primarily contain balanced dyads, indicating a propensity to execute meiotic restitution. With most meiocytes exhibiting a complete loss of chiasma formation and concomitantly showing a mitotic-like division, heat stress triggers first division restitution resulting in clonal spores. These findings corroborate with the plasticity of male meiosis under heat and establish a natural route for the induction of sexual polyploidization in plants and the engineering of clonal seed.

Identification of a missense variant of MND1 in meiotic arrest and non-obstructive azoospermia.

Meiotic arrest is a common pathologic phenotype of non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), yet its genetic causes require further investigation. Meiotic nuclear divisions 1 (MND1) has been proved to be indispensable for meiotic recombination in many species. To date, only one variant of MND1 has been reported associated with primary ovarian insufficiency (POI), yet there has been no report of variants in MND1 associated with NOA. Herein, we identified a rare homozygous missense variant (NM_032117:c.G507C:p.W169C) of MND1 in two NOA-affected patients from one Chinese family. Histological analysis and immunohistochemistry demonstrated meiotic arrest at zygotene-like stage in prophase I and lack of spermatozoa in the proband's seminiferous tubules. In silico modeling demonstrated that this variant might cause possible conformational change in the leucine zippers 3 with capping helices (LZ3wCH) domain of MND1-HOP2 complex. Altogether, our study demonstrated that the MND1 variant (c.G507C) is likely responsible for human meiotic arrest and NOA. And our study provides new insights into the genetic etiology of NOA and mechanisms of homologous recombination repair in male meiosis.

O-064 Genome-wide analysis of meiotic recombination reveals a subset of oocytes with reduced frequency of recombination and increased risk of aneuploidy.

Abstract Study question Are there differences in recombination rates between male and female embryos, and is the frequency of recombination associated with the risk of aneuploidy? Summary answer There is more recombination in female meiosis than in males. Aneuploidy is associated with fewer recombination events. Genome-wide reduction in recombination predisposes oocytes to aneuploidy. What is known already Aneuploidy is believed to be the primary explanation for embryo implantation failure and miscarriage and is, therefore, of great relevance to IVF. Despite the high frequency and clinical importance of aneuploidy, the mechanisms causing a gamete to become chromosomally abnormal are only partially understood. One factor known to influence the risk of aneuploidy is meiotic recombination. An absence of recombination or atypical positioning of chiasmata predisposes to chromosomal malsegregation. Most data on the subject of meiotic recombination and aneuploidy comes from miscarriages and aneuploid births, but this provides an incomplete view since most aneuploidies are lethal at earlier developmental stages. Study design, size, duration ∼300,000 polymorphisms scattered across the genome were genotyped in DNA from 125 couples and 543 blastocysts that they produced. The inheritance of individual alleles was tracked from parents to embryos, allowing the parental origin of each chromosome to be determined. This strategy also permitted the detection of abnormal numbers of chromosomes, allowed deduction of which meiotic division aneuploidy had arisen in, and revealed the sites of meiotic recombination on each chromosome in the embryos analysed. Participants/materials, setting, methods Embryo analysis involved trophectoderm biopsy, followed by multiple displacement amplification. Parental DNA and amplified embryo samples were then tested using a microarray. 22,133 individual recombination events on 14,561 chromatids were evaluated. The relationship between aneuploidy and recombination frequency was considered. The average distance between recombination events was calculated by dividing the size of each autosome (in Mega bases – Mb) by the number of detected recombination events. An unpaired t-test was conducted for statistical analysis. Main results and the role of chance A quarter of all embryos were found to carry one or more chromosome abnormalities (altogether, 221 chromosome abnormalities were detected). Of these, 82% had a maternal (oocyte) origin, while 18% were paternal. Chromosomes 16 and 22 were the most frequently affected by aneuploidy, together accounting for 33% of all maternal chromosome abnormalities. Analysis of recombination events in maternally and paternally inherited chromosomes confirmed that female meiosis is associated with a significantly higher frequency of recombination (41.4 ±7.7 recombination events compared with 24.4±4 in chromosomes of paternal origin). Chromosomes 21 and 22 showed the lowest number of recombination events, consistent with their small size (average of 0.6 and 0.7 recombination sites per chromosome, respectively). As expected, a complete failure of recombination occurred more frequently for chromosomes with lower numbers of recombination events. Interestingly, embryos with aneuploidies of maternal origin showed evidence that the oocytes that produced them had lower recombination rates in general (not restricted to the affected chromosomes) than those producing euploid embryos (P = 0.01). Across the genome, average distances between recombination events were ∼10% lower for euploid embryos compared with aneuploid embryos (72.4 +/-14 Mb versus 81+-18 Mb) (P = 0.0004). Limitations, reasons for caution It is possible that the pattern and frequency of recombination sites that exist in sperm and oocytes might show some differences from the blastocysts tested during this study, considering that more than half of all oocytes either fail to fertilise or produce embryos that arrest before the blastocyst stage. Wider implications of the findings As expected, a higher aneuploidy rate and more recombination events were seen in female meiosis compared with male meiosis. Interestingly, aneuploidy was associated with lower levels of recombination across the whole genome, not only for the affected chromosomes, suggesting that unusually low recombination activity predisposes some oocytes to chromosome malsegregation. Trial registration number not applicable

O-302 Triploid conceptions are predominantly caused by female meiosis II errors and their risk increases with advancing maternal age

Abstract Study question What are the incidence and origin of ploidy abnormalities in embryos derived from 2 pronuclei (2PN) zygotes, and is their risk linked to maternal age? Summary answer While embryo haploidy is usually due to male meiosis errors, triploidy is mainly caused by female meiosis II errors, whose incidence increases with maternal age. What is known already Normal fertilization is denoted by the appearance of 2PN 16-18 hours after insemination. Deviation from 2PN is considered evidence of abnormal fertilization and ploidy anomalies. Nonetheless, even 2PN embryos can be diagnosed with ploidy abnormalities during preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). The incidence of 3PN has already been linked to advanced maternal age. However, no conclusive and well-powered studies have yet investigated the incidence, origin, and maternal age correlation of genetically-diagnosed ploidy abnormalities. A targeted NGS-based approach that simultaneously analyzes copy number and genotyping data provides a comprehensive ploidy status assessment and helps address numerous basic and clinical research questions. Study design, size, duration Retrospective study including 96,660 trophectoderm biopsies analyzed between 2020 and 2022 using a targetedNGS-based PGT platform. A total of 1,063 embryos carrying haploidy or triploidy were used to investigate maternal age correlation, and parental/meiotic origin of the anomaly. Of these, 57 embryos were from concomitant PGT-M (PGT for monogenic disorders) cycles where also parental DNA was available. These trios (embryo-parents) were used to independently estimate parental/meiotic contribution to the ploidy abnormality and genome-wide recombination events. Participants/materials, setting, methods Targeted-NGS’s accuracy in genotyping and copy number (CN) detection were previously validated on triploid cell lines and multifocal blastocyst biopsies with known ploidy status derived from abnormally fertilized oocytes. Parental and meiotic origins were estimated using two independent approaches. First, they were inferred using sex chromosomes CN from 1,063 embryos with altered ploidy status. Secondly, they were directly calculated using genotyping data from 57 trios (embryo and parents) from PGT-M cycles. Main results and the role of chance The prevalence of ploidy abnormalities in 2PN-derived embryos was 1.1% (n = 1,063/96,660), with triploids accounting for 83.0% (n = 882/1,063) and haploids for 17.0% (n = 181/1,063). Remarkably, the incidence of ploidy anomalies is positively correlated with maternal age (OR = 1.046 per year; p < 0.001). Triploidy showed strong correlation with age (OR = 1.059 per year; p < 0.001), while haploidy did not (OR = 0.96 per year; p = 0.1). Based on sex chromosomes CN analysis, the extra haploid set of triploid embryos was almost completely of maternal origin (94.6%; 95%CI:93.0-96.1), with male errors accounting for only 5.4% (95%CI:4.0-7.1). On the other hand, haploid embryos were the result of paternal errors in 97.8% of cases (95%CI:94.4-99.4), with the missing haploid set being of maternal origin in the remaining 2.2% (95%CI:0.6-5.6). In terms of triploidy’s meiotic origin, two-thirds of the errors occurred during MII (95%CI:63.4-69.8), while one-third occurred during MI (95%CI:30.2-36.5). An independent method using genotyping data of 57 trios confirmed the predominance of paternal error in haploidy (n = 12/14) and the exclusively maternal origin of all embryonic triploidies (n = 43/43). The extra haploid set resulted from an error during MI in 27.9% (n = 12/43) and during MII in 72.1% (n = 31/43) of cases. Interestingly, 16.3% of triploids (n = 7/43) showed no genome-wide recombination events. Limitations, reasons for caution Despite the uniquely large sample size, the inference based on sex chromosomes CN suffers the limitations of the modeling assumptions (independence between parental and meiotic errors), which require further validation. Due to the low prevalence of paternal errors, clinical correlation with male factor could not be investigated with sufficient power. Wider implications of the findings Thanks to the exceedingly high sample size, this is the first study to reveal an increased risk of triploid conception with advancing female age (76% higher at age 40 than at age 30), providing meaningful insights for patients counseling. Importantly, the meiotic origin of ploidy anomalies in embryos were unveiled. Trial registration number not applicable

Mob4 is essential for spermatogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster.

Gamete formation is essential for sexual reproduction in metazoans. Meiosis in males gives rise to spermatids that must differentiate and individualize into mature sperm. In Drosophila melanogaster, individualization of interconnected spermatids requires the formation of individualization complexes that synchronously move along the sperm bundles. Here, we show that Mob4, a member of the Mps-one binder family, is essential for male fertility but has no detectable role in female fertility. We show that Mob4 is required for proper axonemal structure and its loss leads to male sterility associated with defective spermatid individualization and absence of mature sperm in the seminal vesicles. Transmission electron micrographs of developing spermatids following mob4RNAi revealed expansion of the outer axonemal microtubules such that the 9 doublets no longer remained linked to each other and defective mitochondrial organization. Mob4 is a STRIPAK component, and male fertility is similarly impaired upon depletion of the STRIPAK components, Strip and Cka. Expression of the human Mob4 gene rescues all phenotypes of Drosophila mob4 downregulation, indicating that the gene is evolutionarily and functionally conserved. Together, this suggests that Mob4 contributes to the regulation of the microtubule- and actin-cytoskeleton during spermatogenesis through the conserved STRIPAK complex. Our study advances the understanding of male infertility by uncovering the requirement for Mob4 in sperm individualization.

Genetic Regulation of Mitosis-Meiosis Fate Decision in Plants: Is Callose an Oversighted Polysaccharide in These Processes?

Timely progression of the meiotic cell cycle and synchronized establishment of male meiosis in anthers are key to ascertaining plant fertility. With the discovery of novel regulators of the plant cell cycle, the mechanisms underlying meiosis initiation and progression appear to be more complex than previously thought, requiring the conjunctive action of cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases, transcription factors, protein-protein interactions, and several signaling components. Broadly, cell cycle regulators can be classified into two categories in plants based on the nature of their mutational effects: (1) those that completely arrest cell cycle progression; and (2) those that affect the timing (delay or accelerate) or synchrony of cell cycle progression but somehow complete the division process. Especially the latter effects reflect evasion or obstruction of major steps in the meiosis but have sometimes been overlooked due to their subtle phenotypes. In addition to meiotic regulators, very few signaling compounds have been discovered in plants to date. In this review, we discuss the current state of knowledge about genetic mechanisms to enter the meiotic processes, referred to as the mitosis-meiosis fate decision, as well as the importance of callose (β-1,3 glucan), which has been unsung for a long time in male meiosis in plants.

SRSF1 is crucial for male meiosis through alternative splicing during homologous pairing and synapsis in mice

SRSF1 is crucial for male meiosis through alternative splicing during homologous pairing and synapsis in mice

Distinct dynein complexes defined by DYNLRB1 and DYNLRB2 regulate mitotic and male meiotic spindle bipolarity

Spindle formation in male meiosis relies on the canonical centrosome system, which is distinct from acentrosomal oocyte meiosis, but its specific regulatory mechanisms remain unknown. Herein, we report that DYNLRB2 (Dynein light chain roadblock-type-2) is a male meiosis-upregulated dynein light chain that is indispensable for spindle formation in meiosis I. In Dynlrb2 KO mouse testes, meiosis progression is arrested in metaphase I due to the formation of multipolar spindles with fragmented pericentriolar material (PCM). DYNLRB2 inhibits PCM fragmentation through two distinct pathways; suppressing premature centriole disengagement and targeting NuMA (nuclear mitotic apparatus) to spindle poles. The ubiquitously expressed mitotic counterpart, DYNLRB1, has similar roles in mitotic cells and maintains spindle bipolarity by targeting NuMA and suppressing centriole overduplication. Our work demonstrates that two distinct dynein complexes containing DYNLRB1 or DYNLRB2 are separately used in mitotic and meiotic spindle formations, respectively, and that both have NuMA as a common target.

Jun-mediated lncRNA-IMS promotes the meiosis of chicken spermatogonial stem cells via gga-miR-31-5p/stra8.

Meiosis, a key step in spermatogenesis, is affected by many factors. Current studies have shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs)are potential factors regulating meiosis, and their regulatory mechanisms have received much attention. However, little research has been done on its regulatory mechanism in the spermatogenesis of roosters. Here, we found that lncRNA involved in meiosis and spermatogenesis(lncRNA-IMS) was involved in the regulation of Stra8 by gga-miR-31-5p and hindered the inhibition of Stra8 by gga-miR-31-5p. The acquisition and loss of function experiments demonstrated that lncRNA-IMS was involved in meiosis and spermatogenesis. In addition, we predicted and determined the core promoter region of lncRNA-IMS. Prediction of transcription factors, deletion/overexpression of binding sites, knockdown/overexpression of Jun, and dual-luciferase reporter analysis confirmed that Jun positively activated transcription of lncRNA-IMS. Our findings further enrich the TF-lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network during male meiosis and provide new ideas for studying the molecular mechanism of meiosis and spermatogenesis in chicken spermatogonial stem cells.

Expanding the Chromosomal Evolution Understanding of Lygaeioid True Bugs (Lygaeoidea, Pentatomomorpha, Heteroptera) by Classical and Molecular Cytogenetic Analysis.

The Lygaeoidea comprise about 4660 species in 790 genera and 16 families. Using standard chromosome staining and FISH with 18S rDNA and telomeric (TTAGG)n probes, we studied male karyotypes and meiosis in 10 species of Lygaeoidea belonging to eight genera of the families Blissidae, Cymidae, Heterogastridae, Lygaeidae, and Rhyparochromidae. Chromosome numbers were shown to range from 12 to 28, with 2n = 14 being predominant. All species have an XY system and all but one have a pair of m-chromosomes. The exception is Spilostethus saxatilis (Lygaeidae: Lygaeinae); in another species of Lygaeinae, Thunbergia floridulus, m-chromosomes were present, which represents the first finding for this subfamily. All species have an inverted sequence of sex chromosome divisions ("post-reduction"). The 18S rDNA loci were observed on one or both sex chromosomes in Kleidocerys resedae and Th. floridulus, respectively (Lygaeidae), while on an autosomal bivalent in all other species. The rDNA loci tended to be close to the end of the chromosome. Using (TTAGG)n-FISH, we were able to show for the first time that the Lygaeoidea lack the canonical "insect" telomere motif (TTAGG)n. We speculate that this ancestral motif is absent from the entire infraorder Pentatomomorpha being replaced by some other telomere repeat motif sequences.

Spastin is an essential regulator of male meiosis, acrosome formation, manchette structure and nuclear integrity.

The development and function of male gametes is dependent on a dynamic microtubule network, yet how this is regulated remains poorly understood. We have recently shown that microtubule severing, via the action of the meiotic AAA ATPase protein clade, plays a crucial role in this process. Here, we sought to elucidate the roles of spastin, an as-yet-unexplored member of this clade in spermatogenesis. Using a SpastKO/KO mouse model, we reveal that spastin loss resulted in a complete loss of functional germ cells. Spastin plays a crucial role in the assembly and function of the male meiotic spindle. Consistent with meiotic failure, round spermatid nuclei were enlarged, indicating aneuploidy, but were still able to enter spermiogenesis. During spermiogenesis, we observed extreme abnormalities in manchette structure, acrosome biogenesis and, commonly, a catastrophic loss of nuclear integrity. This work defines an essential role for spastin in regulating microtubule dynamics during spermatogenesis, and is of potential relevance to individuals carrying spastin variants and to the medically assisted reproductive technology industry.

Localization and expression of SLX4 in the testis of sterile male cattle-yak.

Cattle-yak, the hybrid offspring of yak (Bos grunniens) and cattle (Bos taurus), serves as a unique model to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying reproductive isolation. While female cattle-yaks are fertile, the males are completely sterile due to spermatogenic arrest at the meiosis stage and massive germ cell apoptosis. Interestingly, meiotic defects are partially rescued in the testes of backcrossed offspring. The genetic basis of meiotic defects in male cattle-yak remains unclear. Structure-specific endonuclease subunit (SLX4) participates in meiotic double-strand break (DSB) formation in mice, and its deletion results in defects in spermatogenesis. In the present study, we examined the expression patterns of SLX4 in the testes of yak, cattle-yak, and backcrossed offspring to investigate its potential roles in hybrid sterility. The results showed that the relative abundances of SLX4 mRNA and protein were significantly reduced in the testis of cattle-yak. The results of immunohistochemistry revealed that SLX4 was predominately expressed in spermatogonia and spermatocytes. Chromosome spreading experiments showed that SLX4 was significantly decreased in the pachytene spermatocytes of cattle-yak compared with yak and backcrossed offspring. These findings suggest that SLX4 expression was dysregulated in the testis of cattle-yak, potentially resulting in the failure of crossover formation and collapses of meiosis in hybrid males.

Heterochiasmy and Sex Chromosome Evolution in Silene

The evolution of a non-recombining sex-specific region is a key step in sex chromosome evolution. Suppression of recombination between the (proto-) X- and Y-chromosomes in male meiosis creates a non-recombining Y-linked region (NRY), while the X-chromosome continues to recombine in females. Lack of recombination in the NRY defines its main properties-genetic degeneration and accumulation of repetitive DNA, making X and Y chromosomes very different from each other. How and why recombination suppression on sex chromosomes evolves remains controversial. A strong difference in recombination rates between the sexes (heterochiasmy) can facilitate or even cause recombination suppression. In the extreme case-complete lack of recombination in the heterogametic sex (achiasmy)-the entire sex-specific chromosome is automatically non-recombining. In this study, I analyse sex-specific recombination rates in a dioecious plant Silene latifolia (Caryophyllaceae), which evolved separate sexes and sex chromosomes ~11 million years ago. I reconstruct high-density RNAseq-based genetic maps including over five thousand genic markers for the two sexes separately. The comparison of the male and female maps reveals only modest heterochiasmy across the genome, with the exception of the sex chromosomes, where recombination is suppressed in males. This indicates that heterochiasmy likely played only a minor, if any, role in NRY evolution in S. latifolia, as recombination suppression is specific to NRY rather than to the entire genome in males. Other mechanisms such as structural rearrangements and/or epigenetic modifications were likely involved, and comparative genome analysis and genetic mapping in multiple Silene species will help to shed light on the mechanism(s) of recombination suppression that led to the evolution of sex chromosomes.

Both male and female meiosis contribute to non-Mendelian inheritance of parental chromosomes in interspecific plant hybrids (Lolium × Festuca).

Some interspecific plant hybrids show unequal transmission of chromosomes from parental genomes to the successive generations. It has been suggested that this is due to a differential behavior of parental chromosomes during meiosis. However, underlying mechanism is unknown. We analyzed chromosome composition of the F2 generation of Festuca × Lolium hybrids and reciprocal backcrosses to elucidate effects of male and female meiosis on the shift in parental genome composition. We studied male meiosis, including the attachment of chromosomes to the karyokinetic spindle and gene expression profiling of the kinetochore genes. We found that Lolium and Festuca homoeologues were transmitted differently to the F2 generation. Female meiosis led to the replacement of Festuca chromosomes by their Lolium counterparts. In male meiosis, Festuca univalents were attached less frequently to microtubules than Lolium univalents, lagged in divisions and formed micronuclei, which were subsequently eliminated. Genome sequence analysis revealed a number of non-synonymous mutations between copies of the kinetochore genes from Festuca and Lolium genomes. Furthermore, we found that outer kinetochore proteins NDC80 and NNF1 were exclusively expressed from the Lolium allele. We hypothesize that silencing of Festuca alleles results in improper attachment of Festuca chromosomes to karyokinetic spindle and subsequently their gradual elimination.

Heat stress responses vary during floret development in European spring barley cultivars.

The Poaceae, or grasses, include many agriculturally important cereal crops such as rice (Oryza sativa), maize (Zea mays), barley (Hordeum vulgare) and bread wheat (Triticum aestivum). Barley is a widely grown cereal crop used for stock feed, malting and brewing. Abiotic stresses, particularly global warming, are the major causes of crop yield losses by affecting fertility and seed set. However, effects of heat stress on reproductive structures and fertility in barley have not been extensively investigated. In this study we examined three commercial European spring barley varieties under high temperature conditions to investigate the effects on floret development. Using a combination of fertility assays, X-ray micro computed tomography, 3-dimensional modelling, cytology and immunolabelling, we observed that male reproductive organs are severely impacted by increased temperature, while the female reproductive organs are less susceptible. Importantly, the timing of stress relative to reproductive development had a significant impact on fertility in a cultivar-dependent manner, this was most significant at pollen mitosis stage with fertility ranged from 31.6-56.0% depending on cultivar. This work provides insight into how heat stress, when applied during male pollen mother cell meiosis and pollen mitosis, affects barley fertility and seed set, and also describes complementary invasive and non-invasive techniques to investigate floret development. This information will be used to identify and study barley cultivars that are less susceptible to heat stress at specific stages of floral development.

Identification of New Candidate Genes Related to Semen Traits in Duroc Pigs through Weighted Single-Step GWAS.

Semen traits play a key role in the pig industry because boar semen is widely used in purebred and crossbred pigs. The production of high-quality semen is crucial to ensuring a good result in artificial insemination. With the wide application of artificial insemination in the pig industry, more and more attention has been paid to the improvement of semen traits by genetic selection. The purpose of this study was to identify the genetic regions and candidate genes associated with semen traits of Duroc boars. We used weighted single-step GWAS to identify candidate genes associated with sperm motility, sperm progressive motility, sperm abnormality rate and total sperm count in Duroc pigs. In Duroc pigs, the three most important windows for sperm motility-sperm progressive motility, sperm abnormality rate, and total sperm count-explained 12.45%, 9.77%, 15.80%, and 12.15% of the genetic variance, respectively. Some genes that are reported to be associated with spermatogenesis, testicular function and male fertility in mammals have been detected previously. The candidate genes CATSPER1, STRA8, ZSWIM7, TEKT3, UBB, PTBP2, EIF2B2, MLH3, and CCDC70 were associated with semen traits in Duroc pigs. We found a common candidate gene, STRA8, in sperm motility and sperm progressive motility, and common candidate genes ZSWIM7, TEKT3 and UBB in sperm motility and sperm abnormality rate, which confirms the hypothesis of gene pleiotropy. Gene network enrichment analysis showed that STRA8, UBB and CATSPER1 were enriched in the common biological process and participated in male meiosis and spermatogenesis. The SNPs of candidate genes can be given more weight in genome selection to improve the ability of genome prediction. This study provides further insight into the understanding the genetic structure of semen traits in Duroc boars.