[Molecular mechanisms of meiosis in plants]

Meiosis is a key step in diploid sexual reproduction. Apart from its cytological description, the molecular mechanisms involved in this specialized cell division are being deciphered in plants thanks to the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. While some meiotic mutants of Arabidopsis confirm the central role of functions that have been described either in yeast or in mice, others led to the identification of previously unknown genes. Numerous plants also exist as polyploids, which represent a special case with regard to meiosis.