Mapping and Characterization of the Barley Desynaptic Mutants

In crops such as wheat or barley, the distribution of chiasmata is markedly skewed towards the telomere, meaning that a considerable proportion of the genome rarely recombines. An ability to modify the pattern of recombination in these species could therefore have profound impact on the breeding of the crops. During meiosis, homologous chromosomes recognize each other, align and pair via chiasmata, ensuring correct segregation at metaphase and thus avoiding aberrant chromosome numbers within gametes. 

Here we present a review for a number of the collection of 14 desynaptic mutants that we are currently revisiting using genetics (SNPs technology) and cytology approaches (3D imaging). We cloned des9 and des10, 2 independent genes reponsible for crossing over and show that des10 in particular had an unexpected  compromised synapsis as regard to the mutation.