Transmission electron microscopy and serial reconstructions reveal novel meiotic phenotypes for the ahp2 mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

We have found novel phenotypes for the previously studied Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. meiotic mutant ahp2. These phenotypes were revealed by analysis of reconstructions of normal and ahp2 nuclei that were imaged using transmission electron microscopy. Previous studies of the ahp2 mutant demonstrated that it has a general failure to form synaptonemal complexes, except for the nucleolus organizing regions, and it fails to complete reciprocal genetic exchange. Here, we show that even though the ahp2 chromosome axes have only 5% of the normal amount of synaptonemal complex formation, it nonetheless has slightly more than 40% of the axes involved in close alignment. We also observed two striking nuclear envelope associated abnormalities. Wild type nuclei contain two nucleoli, one nucleolus-like structure, and nuclear envelope associated structures that we refer to as nuclear envelope associated disks. The ahp2 nuclei have the two nucleoli, but they lack the third nucleolus-like structure and instead have a previously uncharacterized structure that spans the nuclear envelope. Additionally, ahp2 meiocytes have nuclear envelope associated disks that are narrower and more numerous (∼2×) than those seen in wild type, and unlike the wild type disks, they are in direct contact with the nuclear envelope.