全世界科學(xué)家利用單性生殖這種強(qiáng)大工具創(chuàng)建能生產(chǎn)維持活力的后代種子,、繁衍與母本相同后代的雜交品種,。單性生殖在400多個(gè)植物物種自然發(fā)生,，但是在一些重要作物,，如水稻,、小麥和玉米中,，卻是罕見的,。
法國國家科學(xué)研究中心(CNRS),、法國國立農(nóng)業(yè)研究所（INRA）、奧地利分子病理學(xué)研究所的科學(xué)家們在開發(fā)單性生殖作物方面取得重要突破,。該小組解決了單性生殖研究的一個(gè)重要障礙：減數(shù)分裂,。減數(shù)分裂是一種細(xì)胞分裂方式，產(chǎn)生混合父母性狀的雌雄配子,。通過模式植物擬南芥三個(gè)基因突變的結(jié)合,，研究小組建立了一個(gè)稱為“MiMe”的基因型，其減數(shù)分裂完全被有絲分裂和無性細(xì)胞分裂取代,。
Rapha.l Mercier及其同事針對生殖細(xì)胞分裂獨(dú)有的三個(gè)進(jìn)程：
.利用Atspo11 - 1基因突變重組或配對染色體
.利用Atrec8基因突變隔離或分離染色體
.在細(xì)胞分裂第二輪利用osd1基因突變
然而,，實(shí)現(xiàn)單性生殖依然是一個(gè)遙遠(yuǎn)目標(biāo)。專家預(yù)測,，單性生殖作物仍然可能需要15年才能進(jìn)入市場,。有絲分裂取代減數(shù)分裂的缺點(diǎn)是，每一代染色體數(shù)目都會(huì)增加,，染色體數(shù)目上升可導(dǎo)致生育率下降,。科學(xué)家們還必須找到一種孤雌生殖產(chǎn)生可育種子的方法,。盡管如此,，全世界科學(xué)家都承認(rèn)Mercie及其同事的發(fā)現(xiàn)極具意義。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
PLoS Biol 7(6): e1000124. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1000124
Turning Meiosis into Mitosis
Isabelle d'Erfurth1, Sylvie Jolivet1, Nicole Froger1, Olivier Catrice2, Maria Novatchkova3, Rapha?l Mercier1*
1 INRA, UR254, IJPB, Versailles. France, 2 CNRS, UPR2355, Gif sur Yvette, France, 3 Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna, Austria
Apomixis, or asexual clonal reproduction through seeds, is of immense interest due to its potential application in agriculture. One key element of apomixis is apomeiosis, a deregulation of meiosis that results in a mitotic-like division. We isolated and characterised a novel gene that is directly involved in controlling entry into the second meiotic division. By combining a mutation in this gene with two others that affect key meiotic processes, we created a genotype called MiMe in which meiosis is totally replaced by mitosis. The obtained plants produce functional diploid gametes that are genetically identical to their mother. The creation of the MiMe genotype and apomeiosis phenotype is an important step towards understanding and engineering apomixis.
