Elucidation of novel synthetic lethality "Forced double suicide" in plants

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K14563
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Morphology/Structure
• Research Institution: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
• Principal Investigator: Kazama Yusuke 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 仁科加速器研究センター, 協力研究員 (80442945)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): ABE Hiroshi 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 仁科加速器研究センター, 先任技師 (90201897) ; ISHII Kotaro 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 仁科加速器研究センター, 協力研究員 (80442945)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 配偶子 / 合成致死 / 植物

Outline of Final Research Achievements

When two certain mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana were crossed, a non-Mendelian inheritance was observed. Double mutants were not produced as well as the wild type plants. This phenomenon can be explained if the presence of Synthetic Forced Double Suicide (SFDS) is assumed, in which gametes having both mutations resulted in death together with the death of wild-type gametes. The microscopic observation revealed that a gametic lethality started by the DNA digestion of the gametic cells. Products of both genes had a DNA-binding activity. One of the mutations was loss of function, and the other was over-expression of the transcript due to a deletion of its cis element. These findings indicate that both mutation caused SFDS.

Free Research Field

植物形態学