The invisible cytomixis: how a cytological phenomenon can be misinterpreted or totally overlooked

Abstract

This review discusses how technical limitations of microscopic techniques as well as cognitive distortions of researchers hinder progress in the study of the phenomenon of cytomixis. The key element of any cytological work remains the interpretation of obtained data. Owing to technical limitations, cognitive distortions, and limited knowledge of the object under study, distorted or false conclusions can be made. One prominent example of such distorted perception in plant meiosis studies is the phenomenon of cytomixis: migration of nuclei between male meiocytes. In this review, we discuss cases from published articles where cytomixis has been misinterpreted because of limitations of the microscopic techniques used. Furthermore, we highlight papers where intercellular nuclear migration has been repeatedly documented but also repeatedly overlooked. This "learning from mistakes" approach may help researchers in the field to view their data from different perspectives and to find additional possible interpretations of an observed cytological picture.

Keywords: Meiocyte columns; Meiosis; Micronuclei; Nuclear migration; Volume microscopy.