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Abnormal male meiosis explains pollen sterility in the polyploid medicinal plant Pinellia ternata (Araceae)

Authors Liu, Y.; Hui, R-K.; Deng, R. -N.; Wang, J. -J.; Wang, M.; Li, Z. -Y.

Journal GENETICS AND MOLECULAR RESEARCH , 2012,1:11

DOI 10.4238/2012.January.17.1 PubMed 22290471

Abstract Pinellia ternata is an important traditional Chinese medicinal plant. Its different populations in China have various ploidy levels, based on x = 13, as well as extensive aneuploid series. The microsporogenesis process was observed in specimens from three populations from three regions of Hubei Province; they were characterized by normal and abnormal meiotic divisions in pollen mother cells (PMCs) at all stages simultaneously. Meiotic abnormalities including univalents/multivalents, chromosomal laggards/bridges and micronuclei appeared in about 50% of the PMCs, together with abnormal cytokinesis. Chromatin/chromosome transfer between meiocytes occurred only during the first division, at low frequency; this might contribute to these meiotic abnormalities. Although the remaining 50% of the PMCs presented normal cytological behavior, pollen fertility was only about 2%. These results provide cytological explanations for its low seed-set and the general use of asexual reproduction through tubers and bulbils; it also explains the wide variations in chromosome number.

Species covered 半夏 Pinellia ternata