Meiotic drive

Meiotic drive is a type of intragenomic conflict, whereby one or more loci within a genome will affect a manipulation of the meiotic process in such a way as to favor the transmission of one or more alleles over another, regardless of its phenotypic expression. More simply, meiotic drive is when one copy of a gene is passed on to offspring more than the expected 50% of the time. According to Buckler et al., "Meiotic drive is the subversion of meiosis so that particular genes are preferentially transmitted to the progeny. Meiotic drive generally causes the preferential segregation of small regions of the genome".[1]

Examples

The first report of meiotic drive came from Marcus Rhoades who in 1942 observed a violation of mendelian segregation ratios for the R locus - a gene controlling the production of the purple pigment anthocyanin in maize kernels - in a maize line carrying abnormal chromosome 10.[2] This violation of mendelian segregation was later shown to be the result of an array of Kindr genes at present on the end of chromosome 10 which induce neocentromere activity in maize knobs, causing copies of maize chromosomes carrying knobs to preferentially reach the egg cell during female meiosis.[3]

A study by John Didion and Fernando Pardo-Manuel de Villena found evidence of a gene in mice (r2d2 – responder to meiotic drive 2) that is passed on more than 50% of the time.[4] Gregor Mendel's First and Second Laws (the law of segregation and the law of independent assortment) tell us that there is a random chance of each allele being passed on to offspring, but selfish genes seem to break these laws.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Edward S. Buckler IV, Tara L. Phelps-Durr, Carlyn S, Keith Buckler, R. Kelly Dawe, John F. Doebley and Timothy P. Holtsford (1999). "Meiotic Drive of Chromosomal Knobs Reshaped the Maize Genome". Genetics. 153 (1): 415–426. PMC 1460728. PMID 10471723.
  2. ↑ Rhoades, MM (1942). "Preferential segregation in maize" (PDF). Genetics.
  3. ↑ Dawe, R Kelly and Lowry, Elizabeth G and Gent, Jonathan I and Stitzer, Michelle C and Swentowsky, Kyle W and Higgins, David M and Ross-Ibarra, Jeffrey and Wallace, Jason G and Kanizay, Lisa B and Alabady, Magdy et al. (2018). "A Kinesin-14 Motor Activates Neocentromeres to Promote Meiotic Drive in Maize". Cell.
  4. ↑ "R2d2 beats Mendel: Scientists find selfish gene that breaks long-held law of inheritance". Phys.org. February 11, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
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