Why
do you think your paper is highly cited?
The fact that we can now visualize a single gene on a
maize meiotic chromosome is exciting, especially given the
large size of the maize genome (similar to humans), the
soon-to-be-completed sequencing of the maize genome, and the
importance of maize as a model cytogenetics organism.
|
 |
|
|
“We developed this technology so that we
could understand where the genes are during meiotic
recombination; however this technology will have many uses.” |
|
|
Our paper describes a robust method of detecting
individual genes on chromosomes in a straightforward way,
and shows many examples of the power of the technology. It
shows that containing a large number of transposons and
retro elements is not a hindrance for localizing single copy
genes by FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization).
It also illustrates the advantage of using a pachytene
chromosome as a target for FISH rather than a mitotic
metaphase chromosome since the pachytene chromosome is an
order of magnitude longer than the metaphase chromosome, and
it provides much better resolution for distinguishing two
genes that are close together.
Does
it describe a new discovery, methodology, or synthesis of
knowledge?
Our paper describes a new methodology which we call
high-resolution single-copy FISH, and gives several examples
of the potential application of this technology.
Would
you summarize the significance of your paper in layman’s terms?
Our paper shows a method where a researcher can
"highlight" one single gene on a whole chromosome.
Chromosomes reside in the nucleus of all cells, and carry
the blueprints for the life of the entire organism. Single
genes are incredibly tiny, and our method allows one to
clearly see the position of a single gene on a chromosome
using a light microscope.
How
did you become involved in this research, and were there any
problems along the way?
Single-gene FISH has been technically difficult to
accomplish in any organism. The development of this method
took several years. This analysis of gene location will
further our understanding of meiotic recombination, the
homology search, and the distribution of chiasmata on
meiotic chromosomes.
Where
do you see your research leading in the future?
We hope that this technology will be used for many
purposes; maybe the most significant would be as a reality
check for the chromosomal position of BAC contigs. as the
maize genome is being sequenced. We developed this
technology so that we could understand where the genes are
during meiotic recombination; however this technology will
have many uses. It can be applied to any organism if it is
possible to make a spread preparation of their meiotic
chromosomes. This will be especially useful for other crop
plants that are being sequenced, such as tomato and sorghum.
Are
there any social or political implications for your research?
Maize is the number-one cash crop in the USA and has
important uses as a biofuel as well as a food stuff. The
development of this technology will help in the efforts to
sequence and understand the organization of the maize
genome, which is important for future plant breeding
efforts.
Rachel Wang
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
University of California Berkeley
Berkeley, CA, USA
W. Zacheus Cande
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
University of California Berkeley
Berkeley, CA, USA
Rachel
Wang & W. Zacheus Cande answer a few questions about
this
month's fast breaking paper in the field of Plant &
Animal Science.
The author has also sent along images of their work.
