About this Research Topic
This Research Topic is the second volume of the Research Topic "Meiotic Recombination and DNA Repair: New Approaches to Solve Old Questions in Model and Non-Model Plant Species".
This Research Topic aims to present the latest findings in meiosis, including new insights into meiotic recombination and chromatin organization. It will also explore new approaches to modulate the recombination landscape and target local recombination. The United Nations projects that the world population will reach 9.8 billion people by 2050, causing an increase in food, energy, and water consumption. The 20th-century population growth in high-income countries was balanced with heightened food production, resulting from expanded cultivation land, the introduction of pesticides and fertilizers, and improved agricultural practices, collectively known as the “Green Revolution.” Despite these advancements, plant physiology and optimal condition biomass production haven't improved significantly. This leads to speculations that a "Genetic Revolution" may be necessary to meet the caloric and micronutrient demands of a growing population amid climate change. A better understanding of meiosis can significantly aid plant breeding programs. For example, creating hyper-recombinant lines can facilitate the detection of genes underlying QTLs, break linkage drags, and generate positive new combinations of alleles in selected environments.
However, several challenges persist. The determining factors of the recombination landscape, both locally and at a chromosome scale, remain elusive. The limiting factors promoting recombination and the possibility of achieving significant recombination in centromeric proximal regions without disrupting genome stability are still unclear. Our understanding of meiosis predominantly extends to model species, but there's a need to explore this process in non-conventional plant species. Meiosis plays a critical role in plant genome evolution and ploidy stabilization. To better comprehend how meiosis evolved to stabilize a genome with multiple homologous or homeologous chromosomes, further studies are required. The methodologies employed to investigate meiosis are continually improving, with recent advancements in high-resolution microscopy, genomic techniques for profiling recombination and chromatin marks, and the use of CRISPR for mutagenesis and targeted recombination. Furthermore, the environmental impact on meiosis remains nebulous, despite its profound influence on fertility and seed production.
We encourage the submission of manuscripts that provide physiological insights into addressing these issues and are related to the scope of meiosis, chromosome biology, DNA repair, genome evolution, epigenetics, and homologous recombination. Studies conducted on model plant species, crops, and non-model species are all equally welcome. The Research Topic accepts Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Methods, and Perspective articles.
This Research Topic aims to present the latest findings in meiosis, including new insights into meiotic recombination and chromatin organization. It will also explore new approaches to modulate the recombination landscape and target local recombination. The United Nations projects that the world population will reach 9.8 billion people by 2050, causing an increase in food, energy, and water consumption. The 20th-century population growth in high-income countries was balanced with heightened food production, resulting from expanded cultivation land, the introduction of pesticides and fertilizers, and improved agricultural practices, collectively known as the “Green Revolution.” Despite these advancements, plant physiology and optimal condition biomass production haven't improved significantly. This leads to speculations that a "Genetic Revolution" may be necessary to meet the caloric and micronutrient demands of a growing population amid climate change. A better understanding of meiosis can significantly aid plant breeding programs. For example, creating hyper-recombinant lines can facilitate the detection of genes underlying QTLs, break linkage drags, and generate positive new combinations of alleles in selected environments.
However, several challenges persist. The determining factors of the recombination landscape, both locally and at a chromosome scale, remain elusive. The limiting factors promoting recombination and the possibility of achieving significant recombination in centromeric proximal regions without disrupting genome stability are still unclear. Our understanding of meiosis predominantly extends to model species, but there's a need to explore this process in non-conventional plant species. Meiosis plays a critical role in plant genome evolution and ploidy stabilization. To better comprehend how meiosis evolved to stabilize a genome with multiple homologous or homeologous chromosomes, further studies are required. The methodologies employed to investigate meiosis are continually improving, with recent advancements in high-resolution microscopy, genomic techniques for profiling recombination and chromatin marks, and the use of CRISPR for mutagenesis and targeted recombination. Furthermore, the environmental impact on meiosis remains nebulous, despite its profound influence on fertility and seed production.
We encourage the submission of manuscripts that provide physiological insights into addressing these issues and are related to the scope of meiosis, chromosome biology, DNA repair, genome evolution, epigenetics, and homologous recombination. Studies conducted on model plant species, crops, and non-model species are all equally welcome. The Research Topic accepts Original Research, Review, Mini Review, Methods, and Perspective articles.
Keywords: Meiosis, epigenetics, Genome evolution, DNA double-strand break, homologous recombination
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
