Surface Spreading Technique in Plant Meiocytes for Analysis of Synaptonemal Complex by Electron Microscopy

An improved method of preparing two-dimensional surface spreads of synaptonemal complexes (SCs) in higher plants for examination by electron microscopy is described. This protocol produces clear, well-spread preparations of SCs and unpaired axial cores from a range of meiotic prophase I stages (leptotene to pachytene) from meiocytes of different plant species. Synaptonemal complex (SC) analyses have been widely used in plant cytogenetic studies to address the process of meiotic chromosome synapses, because of the high-resolution allowed by electron microscopy. Although the real role of SC is still enigmatic, its presence and structural conservation in the vast majority of organisms reflect the importance of this protein structure in the meiotic process.