Plant & Animal Genomes XIV Conference

January 14-18, 2006
Town & Country Convention Center
San Diego, CA

Ph1 In Wheat-Will It All End In Drug Taking And Blind Dates?

Graham Moore

  John Innes Centre, Colney, Norwich. UK NR4 7UH

Cell biological studies reveal that at meiosis, homologous telomeres and centromeres find each other whether Ph1 is present or absent. Their pairing is laregly independent of Ph1. So what is Ph1 affecting? In the absence of Ph1, the homologous chromosomes undergo premature and asynchronous condensation.Given the homologous chromosomes are in different condensation states, this increases the chances of pairing with related chromosomes rather than their correct partners. In the presence of Ph1, chromosome condensation is synchronous. In wheat hybrids, in the absence of Ph1, heterochromatin condensation leads to multiply pairing of chromosomes. One of the first species in which premature condensation was described, was in wheat hybrids. In fact hybrids are prone to premature condensation and extensive studies have shown problems with checkpoint control of replication/condensation. The characteristation of the Ph1 locus reveals the disruption of a gene complex related to condensation control. The Ph1 story will be reviewed and its implications discussed.