ABSTRACT MEIOSIS IN LILIUM MICROSPOROGENESIS

Meiosis is a major and critical event in microsporogenesis. In the course of that

event, the processes of pairing and crossing-over activate elements of
chromosome organization that are probably not required for vegetative growth
and reproduction. Even where mitotic crossing over does occur, its frequency is
rare presumably because a supportive organization is lacking. An apparently
loose form of pairing between homologous chromosomes has been reported for
somatic cells of various plant species, but such somatic association is both
morphologically and functionally distinct from meiotic pairing and its
accompanying exchange. The latter are virtually unique to meiocytes. Although
the regulation of chromosome reproduction and transcription imposes broad
requirements on chromosome organization, it is doubtful that such organization
encompasses the special needs of chromosomes in meiosis. The major thrust of
this presentation is to demonstrate that there are indeed components of
chromosome organization which, thus far at least, have been revealed only
during meiosis. Two of these components are expressed in the sequence
organization of DNA and thus are fixed characteristics of the linear differentiation
of the chromosomes.