Eligible for INRA funding

Date : 16/03/2009

Thesis subject : "Meiotic recombination: from genetic determinants
to molecular and super-molecular mechanisms"

Laboratory 1
INRA
Département Génétique et amélioration des plantes.
Centre Gif sur Yvette
Unité UMR 8120 de génétique végétale
91190 Gif-sur-Yvette
Thesis supervisor 1 : Olivier Martin, HDR (Genetique Quantitative Fondamentale)

Laboratory 2
INRA
Département Génétique et amélioration des plantes.
Centre Versailles
Unité UR 2454
Route de Saint Cyr
78026 Versailles
Thesis supervisor 2 :Raphaël Mercier (Méiose et recombinaison).

Before sending candidature, please contact supervisors :
Olivier Martin 01 69 33 23 36 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Raphaël Mercier 01 30 83 39 89 This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Profile and subjects
Masters Modélisation, Génétique
Génétique, Biologie intégrative

Abstract

We wish to understand the mechanisms behind meiotic recombination, especially the regulation of crossover formation and the
corresponding distribution patterns.
The framework of this thesis is centered on Arabidopsis. Thanks to the exceptional plant material we are constructing, it will be possible to observe the respective roles of two pathways for crossover formation;
this extends our work in which we unveiled the second pathway in Arabidopsis a few years ago. The student will also conduct
state of the art modeling, incorporating statistical and physical features so as to analyze in depth the recombination events.

Scientific context and stakes

Understanding the mechanisms at work during meiosis is an outstanding problem of cell biology.
The existence of two pathways for crossover formation has been exhibited first in yeast and then by our group in Arabidopsis in 2005.
A control of such processes would have a tremendous impact. In particular, it would open up the way to far more effective plant improvement programs, a need that is now widely recognized on the scale of the planet, and
France is well equipped to tackle the associated challenges.

Lab's publications

Macaisne N, Novatchkova M, Peirera L, Vezon D; Jolivet S., Froger N., Chelysheva L., Grelon M., Mercier R*. SHOC1, an XPF endonuclease-related protein, is essential for the formation of class I meiotic crossovers. Curr Biol, 2008 Sep 23;18(18):1432-7.
Vignard J, Siwiec T, Chelysheva L, Vrielynck N, Gonord F, Armstrong SJ, Schlögelhofer P, R. Mercier .The interplay of RecA-related proteins and the MND1-HOP2 complex during meiosis in Arabidopsis thaliana. .PLoS Genet. 2007 Oct 12;3(10):1894-906
M. Falque, R. Mercier, C. Mézard, D. de Vienne and O. C. Martin. Patterns of crossing-over and MLH1 foci density along mouse chromosomes: role of interference and obligate chiasma. Genetics. 2007 Jul;176(3):1453-67
J Drouaud1 , R Mercier1, L Chelysheva , A Bérard , M Falque , O Martin , V Zanni , D Brunel , C Mezard* .Sex-specific crossover distributions and variations in interference level along Arabidopsis thaliana chromosome 4. PLoS Genet. 2007 Jun;3(6)
Mezard C, Vignard J, Drouaud J, Mercier R. The road to crossovers: plants have their say. Trends in Genetics. 2007 Feb;23(2):91-99. Review
Mercier R*, Jolivet S, Vezon D, Huppe E, Chelysheva L, Giovanni M, Nogue F, Doutriaux MP, Horlow C, Grelon M, Mezard C. Two meiotic crossover classes cohabit in Arabidopsis: one is dependent on MER3, whereas the other one is not. Current Biology 2005. 26;15(8):692-701
S. Ciliberti, O.C. Martin and A. Wagner (2007), Robustness can evolve gradually in complex regulatory gene networks with varying topology, PLoS Computational Biology 3(2), e15.
S. Ciliberti, O.C. Martin and A. Wagner (2007), Innovation and robustness in complex regulatory gene networks, PNAS 104, 13591-13596.
C. Saintenac, M. Falque, O.C. Martin, E. Paux, C. Feuillet, P. Sourdille, (2009) Detailed Recombination Studies along Chromosome 3B Provide New Insights on Crossover Distribution in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), Genetics 181: 393-403.