Mechanisms of crossover patterning

The project will be supervised by Raphaël Mercier at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research.

Abstract:

Meiotic crossovers shuffle genetic information during sexual reproduction. However, crossovers are limited in number, typically 1-3 per chromosome, and are prevented from occurring close to each other by crossover interference. How this patterning is imposed remains poorly understood. A recently proposed model suggests that the pro-crossover HEI10 protein diffuses along chromosomes and forms large aggregates through a coarsening process. This would lead spontaneously to well-space crossover-promoting foci, providing a mechanism for crossover patterning. The project aims at further testing and refining the coarsening model in Arabidopsis thaliana, through a combination of molecular biology, live and super-resolution microscopy, protein-protein interaction studies, and genetic screens.

Key publication: Durand, S., Lian, Q., Jing, J. et al. Joint control of meiotic crossover patterning by the synaptonemal complex and HEI10 dosage. Nat Commun 13, 5999 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33472-w

Link to the Mercier group homepage: https://www.mpipz.mpg.de/mercier