Abstract
An ethyl methanesulfonate-induced mitotic mutant of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var. durum; 2n=4x=28) was found. We have characterized the mutant to determine the mechanism of abnormal cell division and to test for temperature effects on abnormal cell division. Stained root-tip meristems and pollen mother cells were studied with brightfield, phase contrast, and immunofluorescence microscopy. Abnormal cells included metaphase cells with a multiple of the normal complement (8x=56, or 16x=112), multinucleate cells, 4C, 8C, or 16C mononucleate cells, and cells exhibiting incomplete cytokinesis. The mutant had three classes of pollen mother cells: euploid with normal bivalent pairing, multiploid with bivalent pairing, and multiploid with multivalent pairing. Preprophase bands and spindles were normal in mononucleate cells. Some cells had asymmetrical phragmoplasts and phragmoplast dismantling that produced incomplete cytokinesis. Failure of cytokinesis followed by nuclear fusion were the mechanisms of abnormal cell division. To test for temperature sensitivity of the mutant, seedlings were germinated under six different temperature regimes. As germination temperature increased, the frequency of abnormal cells increased. When the mutant was crossed as the female with durum wheat, 3% of hybrids were hexaploid, indicating that functional–unreduced gametes had formed in megaspores.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Cionini PG, Cavallini A, Baroncelli S, Lercari B, D'Amato F (1983) Diploidy and chromosome endoreduplication in the development of epidermal cell lines in the first foliage leaf of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.). Protoplasma 118: 36-43.
Cleary AL, Smith LG (1998) The Tangledl gene is required for spatial control of cytoskeletal arrays associated with cell division during maize leaf development. Plant Cell 10: 1875-1888.
de la Peña A, Puertas MJ, Merino F (1981) Bimeiosis induced by caffeine. Chromosoma 83: 241-248.
Finch RA, Bennett MD (1979) Action of triploid inducer (tri) on meiosis in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Heredity 43: 87-93.
Hepler PK, Hush JM (1996) Behavior of microtubules in living plant cells. Plant Physiol 112: 455-461.
Joppa LR, Williams ND, Maan SS (1987) The chromosomal location of a gene (msg) affecting megasporogenesis in durum wheat. Genome 29: 578-581.
Kaul MLH, Murthy TGK (1985) Mutant genes affecting higher plant meiosis. Theor Appl Genet 70: 449-466.
Klindworth DL, Williams ND, Duysen, ME (1995) Genetic analysis of chlorina mutants of durum wheat. Crop Sci 35: 431-436.
Lelley T, Mahmoud AA, Lein V (1987) Genetics and cytology of unreduced gametes in cultivated rye (Secale cereale L.). Genome 29: 635-638.
Manandhar G, Apostolakos P, Galatis B (1996a) Cell division of binuclear cells induced by caffeine: Spindle organization and determination of division plane. J Plant Res 109: 265-275.
Manandhar G, Apostolakos P, Galatis B (1996b) Nuclear and microtubular cycles in heterophasic multinuclear Triticum root-tip cells induced by caffeine. Protoplasma 194: 164-176.
McCurdy DW, Gunning BES (1990) Reorganization of cortical actin microfilaments and microtubules at preprophase and mitosis in wheat root-tip cells: a double label immunofluorescence study. Cell Motil Cytoskeleton 15: 76-87.
Pickett-Heaps JD (1969) Preprophase microtubule bands in some abnormal mitotic cells of wheat. J Cell Sci 4: 397-420.
Smertenko A, Drber P, Viklick V, Opatrn Z (1997) Heat stress affects the organization of microtubules and cell division in Nicotiana tabacum cells. Plant Cell Environ 20: 1534-1542.
Takahaski R, Mochizuki A, Hayashi J (1955) Heritable mixoploidy in barley. Nogaku Kenkyu 43: 51-62.
Valster AH, Hepler PK (1997) Caffeine inhibition of cytokinesis: effect on the phragmoplast cytoskeleton in living Tradescantia stamen cells. Protoplasma 196: 155-166.
Williams ND, Maan SS, Carlson KM, Joppa LR (1988) Diploid-like meiotic chromosome pairing in mosaic polyploid sporocytes of wheat. Proceedings of the 7th International Wheat Genetics Symposium. pp 461-466.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Klindworth, D.L., Williams, N.D. Characterization of a mitotic mutant of durum wheat. Chromosome Res 9, 377–386 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016731517604
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016731517604