The frequency inNeurosporatetrads of multiple exchanges within short intervals

Abstract

Tetrad data from short gene-marked intervals provide information on the frequency of multiple exchanges within intervals. Non-parental ditype and tetratype frequencies from 58,000 interval-tetrads ofNeurospora crassashow that 4-strand double exchanges are far less frequent than would be expected in the absence of chiasma or chromatid interference. These results are in general agreement with meiotic tetrad data from other organisms, exceptAspergillus nidulans.They preclude the occurrence of reciprocal meiotic exchanges as clusters unless multiples within each cluster are restricted so as not to involve all four chromatids. If this is not the case, and chromatid interference does not occur, then chiasma interference must be strongly positive within short regions. Known cases of apparent negative interference among random meiotic segregants are probably the result of non-reciprocal conversion of a middle marker, rather than of multiple reciprocal crossing over.