Absence of SUN1 and SUN2 proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana leads to a delay in meiotic progression and defects in synapsis and recombination

Abstract

The movement of chromosomes during meiosis involves the location of their telomeres at the inner surface of the nuclear envelope (NE). Sad1/UNC-84 (SUN)-domain proteins are inner NE proteins that are part of complexes linking cytoskeletal elements with the nucleo skeleton, connecting telomeres to the force-generating mechanism in the cytoplasm. These proteins play a conserved role in chromosome dynamics in eukaryotes. Homologues of SUN-domain proteins have been identified in several plant species. In Arabidopsis thaliana two proteins which interact with each other, named AtSUN1 and AtSUN2, have been identified. Immuno localisation with antibodies to AtSUN1 and AtSUN2 proteins revealed that they were associated with the nuclear envelope during meiotic prophase I. Analysis of the double mutant Atsun1-1 Atsun2-2 has revealed severe meiotic defects, namely, a delay in the progression of meiosis, an absence of full synapsis, unresolved interlock-like structures and a reduction in the mean cell chiasma frequency. We propose that in Arabidopsis thaliana, overlapping functions of SUN1 and SUN2 ensure normal meiotic recombination and synapsis.