title: Meiotic behavior of small chromosomes in maize.
abstract: The typical behavior of chromosomes in meiosis is that homologous pairs synapse, recombine, and then separate at anaphase I. At anaphase II, sister chromatids separate. However, studies of small chromosomes in maize derived from a variety of sources typically have failure of sister chromatid cohesion at anaphase I. This failure occurs whether there is pairing of two copies of a minichromosome or not. These characteristics have implications for managing the transmission of the first generation artificial chromosomes in plants. Procedures to address these issues of minichromosomes are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri Columbia, MO, USA.
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Birchler
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell and Chromosome Engineering, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Fangpu
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Han
keywords: maize; meiosis; minichromosomes; sister chromatid cohesion; synapsis