High impact information on AFD1

• As an outcome of premature sister kinetochore separation in afd1 meiocytes, all of the chromosomes at meiosis II carry single kinetochores [1].
• The first observable defect in afd1 mutants is the inability to make a leptotene chromosome [2].
• Alleles of afd1 dissect REC8 functions during meiotic prophase I [2].
• Rescuing 50% of axial element elongation in the weakest afd1 allele restored bouquet formation demonstrating that extent of telomere clustering depends on axial element elongation [2].
• In afd1 (absence of first division), a mutant that is defective in many aspects of meiosis including sister chromatid cohesion and has equational separation at metaphase I, staining is restricted to the pericentromeric regions during metaphase I and anaphase I; there is no staining at metaphase II or anaphase II [3].

Biological context of AFD1

• Here we exploit three- and four-dimensional light microscopy and the maize meiotic mutant absence of first division 1 (afd1) to investigate the properties of single kinetochores [1].

References