Description Of Research
We are interested in the unique first division of meiosis. We use a variety of organisms, both plant and animal, to study this important and evolutionarily conserved process. During meiosis, homologous chromosomes recognize one another and come together (synapse) along their length to form a distinctive structure called the synaptonemal complex (SC). Using spreads of meiotic chromomosomes and light and electron microscopy (LM and EM), we examine SCs to determine how chromosomes behave during synapsis. We are also interested in genetic recombination that occurs during meiosis. Recombination probably occurs in structures called recombination nodules (RNs) that are associated with SCs during synapsis. There are two types of RNs, early RNs (that may be involved in early recombination events and possibly also synapsis) and late RNs (that mark crossover sites). Currently, we are examining the role(s) of different recombination-related proteins in the process of synapsis and recombination in tomato using immunofluorescence (LM) as well as immunogold (EM) techniques.
Representative Publications
Lohmiller, L.D., A. De Muyt, B. Howard, H.H. Offenberg, C. Heyting, M. Grelon, L.K. Anderson. 2008. Cytological analysis of MRE11protein during early meiotic prophase I in Arabidopsis and tomato. Chromosoma 117:277-288.
Gaut, B.S., S.I. Wright, C. Rizzon, J. Dvorak, and L.K. Anderson. 2007. Recombination: An underappreciated factor in the evolution of plant genomes. Nature Reviews Genetics 8:77-84. doi:10.1038/nrg1970
Chang, S.-B., L.K. Anderson, J.D. Sherman, S.M. Royer, and S.M. Stack. 2007. Predicting and testing physical locations of genetically mapped loci on tomato pachytene chromosome 1. Genetics 176:2131-2138.
Anderson, L.K., A. Lai, S.M. Stack, C. Rizzon, and B.S. Gaut. 2006. Uneven distribution of expressed sequence tag loci on maize pachytene chromosomes. Genome Res. 16:115-122.
Lawrence, C.J., T.E. Seigfried, H.W. Bass, and L.K. Anderson. 2006. Predicting chromosomal locations of genetically mapped loci in maize using the Morgan2McClintock Translator. Genetics 172:2007-2009.
Anderson, L.K., G.G. Doyle, B. Brigham, J. Carter, K.D. Hooker, A. Lai, M. Rice, and S.M. Stack. 2003. High resolution crossover maps for each bivalent of Zea mays using recombination nodules. Genetics, in press.
Tenaillon, M.I., M.C. Sawkins, L.K. Anderson, J.F. Doebley, S.M. Stack, and B.S. Gaut. 2002. Patterns of diversity and recombination along chromosome 1 of maize (Zea mays ssp. mays L.). Genetics 162: 1401-1413.
Anderson, L.K. and S.M. Stack. 2002. Meiotic recombination in plants. Current Genomics 3:507-525.
Froenicke, L., L.K. Anderson, J. Wienberg, and T. Ashley. 2002. Male mouse recombination maps for each autosome identified by chromosome painting. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 71:1353- 1368.
Stack, S.M. and L.K. Anderson 2002 Crossing over as assessed by late recombination nodules is related to synapsis and early recombination nodule distribution. Chromosome Research 10: 329-345.
Anderson, L. K., K. D. Hooker, and S. M. Stack 2001. Distribution of early recombination nodules on zygotene bivalents from plants. Genetics 159:1259-1269.
Stack, S.M. and L.K. Anderson. 2001 A model for chromosome structure during the mitotic and meiotic cell cycles. Chromosome Research 9:175-198.
Anderson, L.K., A. Reeves, L.M. Webb, and T. Ashley. 1999. Distribution of crossing over on mouse synaptonemal complexes using immunofluorescent localization of MLH1 protein. Genetics 151:1569-1579.
Anderson, L.K., H.H. Offenberg, W.H.M.C. Verkuijlen, and C. Heyting. 1997. RecA-like proteins are components of early meiotic nodules in lily. PNAS 94:6868-6873.
Anderson, L.K., S.M. Stack, R.J. Todd, and R.P. Ellis. 1994. A monoclonal antibody to lateral element proteins in synaptonemal complexes of Lilium longiflorum. Chromosoma 103:357-367.
