A research team led by professor Yang Chao from Huazhong Agricultural University's National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, in collaboration with France's INRAE, has identified a molecular mechanism that drives rapid chromosome movement during early meiosis in plants.

The findings were published in Nature Plants under the title "Identification of the cytoplasmic motor-LINC complex module involved in meiotic prophase rapid chromosome movements in Arabidopsis thaliana".

The team discovered a new molecular module, PSS1-LINC, which includes the cytoplasmic motor protein PSS1 and the nuclear envelope-spanning LINC complex. This module plays a critical role in mediating chromosome movement in female meiotic cells of Arabidopsis thaliana, enabling precise pairing and recombination of homologous chromosomes.

The study also identified the previously unknown plant KASH protein SINE3, which anchors to the nuclear membrane, interacts with SUN-domain proteins, and recruits PSS1 to form the active PSS1-LINC module. This structure transmits mechanical force from the cytoskeleton to chromosome ends (telomeres), driving dynamic telomere clustering and homolog recognition.

Loss of any component in the module disrupted chromosome movement, pairing, and recombination, leading to meiotic defects and gamete sterility. These insights deepen scientists' understanding of plant meiotic regulation and provide theoretical foundations and potential targets for improving crop breeding through controlled recombination.

The research was co-led by HZAU's postdoctoral fellow Cai Bowei and PhD student Mariana Tiscareno-Andrade at INRAE, with funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and French National Research Agency.

The PSS1-LINC module specifically localizes to the nuclear envelope of meiotic cells, regulating telomere attachment and movement. [Photo/news.hzau.edu.cn]