Postmeiotic segregation as a source of mosaics in diploid organisms

Abstract

SUMMARYPostmeiotic segregation (PMS) of genetic variants occurs when a DNA heteroduplex formed during meiotic recombination goes undetected by repair enzymes and is transmitted unresolved to the meiotic products. PMS provides an alternative explanation for the origin of mosaics now attributed to half-chromatid mutation. In multicellular diploid eukaryotes, PMS could result in mosaic individuals with unusual migration patterns for proteins studied by gel electrophoresis. If the gonade were mosaic, complex progenies containing as many as six phenotypic classes at a single locus could be produced.