Synthetic Clonal Reproduction Through Seeds

Marimuthu, Mohan P A; Jolivet, Sylvie; Ravi, Maruthachalam; Pereira, Lucie; Davda, Jayeshkumar Narsibhai; Cromer, Laurence; Wang, Lili; Nogué, Fabien; Chan, Simon W. L.; Siddiqi, Imran; Mercier, Raphaël

doi:10.1126/science.1199682

Cited by 128 publications

(101 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…A virtually identical copy of the insertion has been found in every OP D. pulex tested. Moreover, abrogation of Rec8 function, which could plausibly result from the retroelement insertion, is also known in other species to result in phenotypes similar to those seen in OP D. pulex (32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37). The finding that the Rec8 insertion and portions of three other chromosomes (8) are all strongly associated with OP is concordant with results from other systems, in which mutation of just a small number of loci is required to induce a switch from sexual to asexual reproduction.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Although mutations to multiple loci are required to induce obligate asexuality in A. thaliana (32,33), it is theoretically possible that Rec8 abrogation alone is sufficient to induce pseudomeiosis in D. pulex, because loss of Rec8 function affects each of the three processes modified during pseudomeiosis (HR, sisterchromatid orientation, and cohesion). Although we know of no examples of rec8 mutants that specifically result in successful clonal propagation, mutant or biochemical studies in Schizosaccharomyces pombe and other organisms (34)(35)(36)(37) are consistent with the idea that loss of Rec8 function could be sufficient to abrogate meiotic sister chromatid cohesion and HR, and to orient sister chromatids to opposite poles.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The spread of a transposon insertion in Rec8 is associated with obligate asexuality in Daphnia

Eads

Tsuchiya²,

Andrews

et al. 2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Although transitions from sexual to asexual reproduction are thought to have important evolutionary consequences, little is known about the mechanistic underpinnings of these changes. The cyclical parthenogen Daphnia pulex is a powerful model in which to address these issues because female-limited meiosis suppression can be transmitted to sexual individuals via males, providing the opportunity for genetic dissection of the trait. A previous study identified genomic regions differentiating obligately asexual females from their sexual counterparts, and a candidate gene within one such region, encoding the meiotic cohesin Rec8, is the subject of this investigation. The D. pulex genome contains three Rec8 loci, all of which are quite polymorphic. However, at one of the loci, all obligately asexual clones carry an allele containing an identical upstream insertion of a transposable element as well as a frameshift mutation, both of which are completely absent from sexual lineages. The low level of variation within the insertion allele across all asexual lineages suggests that this element may be in the process of spreading through the species, and abrogation or modification of Rec8 function is possibly responsible for converting meiotically reproducing lineages into obligate asexuals.T ransitions between sexual and asexual reproduction are believed to have important evolutionary and ecological consequences (1, 2). However, the molecular, genetic, and cytological underpinnings of such transitions remain largely uncharacterized. Most asexual metazoan taxa are obligate parthenogens (3), making formal genetic analysis of these transitions impossible. In contrast, for the cyclical parthenogen Daphnia pulex, there are numerous lineages in which the females are obligately asexual, but still retain the ability to produce males capable of haploid sperm production via meiosis. Such males provide a vehicle for fertilizing the eggs of sexual females, thereby transmitting the genetic determinants of female-limited meiosis suppression (4, 5). Such sex-limited meiosis suppression provides a powerful mechanism for the recurrent transformation of sexual lineages into novel asexually produced genotypes by repeated crossings between male progeny of obligate asexuals and sexual females (5-8).Although several genetic types of obligate asexuality may exist within the Daphnia species complex (9), our current focus is on a system involving "contagious" obligate asexuality (5,7,8), which has resulted in a wide phylogenetic and geographic distribution of obligately parthenogenetic (OP) lineages in the eastern and midcontinental portions of North America.In cyclically parthenogenetic (CP) D. pulex, resting eggs are products of meiosis and fertilization, whereas, in OP females, they are produced by a pseudomeiotic process in which a germline cell undergoes an equational separation (10). Data from laboratory crosses initially suggested that a single dominant allele confers OP (7). However, a recent marker association study of a collection of OP an...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The spread of a transposon insertion in Rec8 is associated with obligate asexuality in Daphnia

Eads

Tsuchiya²,

Andrews

et al. 2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Characterization of sex-lethal transmission after haploidization should add useful information on the function and regulation of these genes. These findings add to our previous work in which we demonstrated that haploids can be used to rapidly generate mapping populations 46 , chromosome substitution lines 47 , parental lines for reverse breeding 47 and for engineering clonal reproduction through seeds 48 . Finally, like in haploid yeast, it is possible to measure meiotic crossover and gene conversion using Arabidopsis haploids 49 and to study meiotic recombination events in the absence of a homologous partner during haploid meiosis 50 .…”

Section: M1 Haploidsmentioning

confidence: 55%

A haploid genetics toolbox for Arabidopsis thaliana

et al. 2014

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Genetic analysis in haploids provides unconventional yet powerful advantages not available in diploid organisms. In Arabidopsis thaliana, haploids can be generated through seeds by crossing a wild-type strain to a transgenic strain with altered centromeres. Here we report the development of an improved haploid inducer (HI) strain, SeedGFP-HI, that aids selection of haploid seeds prior to germination. We also show that haploids can be used as a tool to accelerate a variety of genetic analyses, specifically pyramiding multiple mutant combinations, forward mutagenesis screens, scaling down a tetraploid to lower ploidy levels and swapping of nuclear and cytoplasmic genomes. Furthermore, the A. thaliana HI can be used to produce haploids from a related species A. suecica and generate homozygous mutant plants from strong maternal gametophyte lethal alleles, which is not possible via conventional diploid genetics. Taken together, our results demonstrate the utility and power of haploid genetics in A. thaliana.

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“…This triple mutant, called MiMe (Mitosis instead of Meiosis) combines mutants in the omission of second division 1 (Osd1), Atspo11-1, and Atrec8 genes and produces viable diploid gametes that are genetically identical to their mother (D'Erfurth et al 2009). The MiMe and dyad mutants have both been used in an attempt to engineer apomixis in Arabidopsis as a proof of concept (Marimuthu et al 2011). Instead of replicating parthenogenesis, MiMe and dyad mutants were crossed with an Arabidopsis line that contains a manipulated centromerespecific histone (CENH3), which has previously been demonstrated to cause genome elimination (Ravi and Chan 2010).…”

Section: Mutants That Develop Embryo Sacs Without Meiosis (Apomeiosismentioning

confidence: 99%

The Genetic Control of Apomixis: Asexual Seed Formation

2014

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Apomixis (asexual seed formation) is the result of a plant gaining the ability to bypass the most fundamental aspects of sexual reproduction: meiosis and fertilization. Without the need for male fertilization, the resulting seed germinates a plant that develops as a maternal clone. This dramatic shift in reproductive process has been documented in many flowering plant species, although no major seed crops have been shown to be capable of apomixis. The ability to generate maternal clones and therefore rapidly fix desirable genotypes in crop species could accelerate agricultural breeding strategies. The potential of apomixis as a nextgeneration breeding technology has contributed to increasing interest in the mechanisms controlling apomixis. In this review, we discuss the progress made toward understanding the genetic and molecular control of apomixis. Research is currently focused on two fronts. One aims to identify and characterize genes causing apomixis in apomictic species that have been developed as model species. The other aims to engineer or switch the sexual seed formation pathway in non-apomictic species, to one that mimics apomixis. Here we describe the major apomictic mechanisms and update knowledge concerning the loci that control them, in addition to presenting candidate genes that may be used as tools for switching the sexual pathway to an apomictic mode of reproduction in crops.

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Synthetic Clonal Reproduction Through Seeds

Cited by 128 publications

References 6 publications

The spread of a transposon insertion in Rec8 is associated with obligate asexuality in Daphnia

The spread of a transposon insertion in Rec8 is associated with obligate asexuality in Daphnia

A haploid genetics toolbox for Arabidopsis thaliana

The Genetic Control of Apomixis: Asexual Seed Formation

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