Identification and functional characterization of genes controlling the frequency

Meiosis being the scene of genetic recombination, it is the heart of Mendelian heredity. The number of crossover (CO) per meiosis is extremely constrained in both directions. Whereas the pathways of CO formation are better and better understood, the control mechanisms of the CO frequency remain unraveled. We have isolated a series of Arabidopsis mutations that restore the frequency of CO in mutants affected in CO formation. These are the first identified mutants that increase the meiotic CO frequency. During this PhD the candidate will characterize a series of allelic mutants and functionally characterize the corresponding gene, through genetic, molecular biology and cytology approaches. In addition he/she will conduct another screen looking for more mutants that increase CO frequency. These studies will shed light on the strict control mechanism that regulates CO frequency at meiosis.

PhD subject IJPB 2011 from research group Méiose et recombinaison