A mutant affecting meiosis in Neurospora

Many mutants affecting meiosis increase the occurrence of aneuploid meiotic products. In Neurospora, mutants of this type cause ascospore abortion which is reflected by an increase in the proportion of ascospores failing to develop black pigment. The usefulness of the criterion white-ascospore-production as a signal for the presence of a mutant affecting meiosis is demonstrated by the recovery of several such mutants. One of these is mei-1 (meiotic-1), a recessive mutant on linkage group IV. Crosses homozygous for mei-1 produce 90% white ascospores (vs. 5% in wild-type crosses). Viable ascospores, invariably black, are always disomic for one or more linkage groups; the chromatids assorted into viable ascospores do not engage in crossing over in meiosis. The distribution of viable ascospores in individual asci suggests that all meioses are defective in the first meiotic division, and that most meioses are defective in both divisions.