Evidence of premeiotic control of chromosome pairing inTriticum aestivum

Abstract

SUMMARY: A genotype of wheat deficient for a pair of chromosomes stabilizing chiasma frequency against extremes of temperature was investigated to determine the position and duration of temperature sensitivity with respect to first metaphase of meiosis. Temperature changes over a critical range, followed by sequential sampling and measurement of chiasma frequency, showed a relatively short temperature-sensitive stage, the position and duration of which were dependent on the final temperature used. Comparison with meiotic timings made independently showed that the temperature-sensitive stage occurred in the premeiotic interphase. Euploid wheat was shown to have a stage in chiasma formation sensitive to high-temperature treatments at a similar time.Comparison with the work of others showed that the sensitive stage lay between the last premeiotic mitosis and the start of DNA synthesis. This modification of chromosome pairing at a much earlier stage than has been previously demonstrated is further evidence that the processes of chromosome pairing and crossing-over are probably more complex than formerly envisaged.