Quantifying Gene Conversion In Fluorescently-Tagged Arabidopsis thaliana Pollen Tetrads (2012)

Undergraduate: Brena Haughey

Faculty Advisor: Gregory Copenhaver
Department: Biology

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Meiotic recombination is a defining hallmark of all sexually reproducing species and is critical for facilitating proper chromosome segregation and maintaining genetic diversity [Francis et al. 2007]. Using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana mutant qrt1-2 and a series of transgenic marker genes encoding fluorescent proteins [Copenhaver et al. 2000, Berchowitz et al. 2009], I used tetrad analysis to visualize meiotic recombination and investigate the association of gene conversions with non-crossover and crossover events. I found that the frequency of a gene conversion exhibits locus-to-locus variation. Additionally, preliminary results suggest gene conversions are more frequently associated with crossovers, but this is difficult to prove because double crossovers cannot be distinguished from non-crossovers. From this research, exploration of mechanisms that influence mutations and genomic alterations in all sexually reproducing organisms can be better understood. Our results will improve genetic mapping techniques and may help harness the molecular machinery of gene conversion to manipulate genomes for commercial purposes.