scholarly journals Mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans him-19 Show Meiotic Defects That Worsen with Age

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 885-896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lois Tang ◽  
Thomas Machacek ◽  
Yasmine M. Mamnun ◽  
Alexandra Penkner ◽  
Jiradet Gloggnitzer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Male Meiosis ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Homologous Chromosomes ◽  
Recombination Protein ◽  
High Incidence ◽  
Bivalent Formation ◽  
Synaptonemal Complex Formation

From a screen for meiotic Caenorhabditis elegans mutants based on high incidence of males, we identified a novel gene, him-19, with multiple functions in prophase of meiosis I. Mutant him-19(jf6) animals show a reduction in pairing of homologous chromosomes and subsequent bivalent formation. Consistently, synaptonemal complex formation is spatially restricted and possibly involves nonhomologous chromosomes. Also, foci of the recombination protein RAD-51 occur delayed or cease altogether. Ultimately, mutation of him-19 leads to chromosome missegregation and reduced offspring viability. The observed defects suggest that HIM-19 is important for both homology recognition and formation of meiotic DNA double-strand breaks. It therefore seems to be engaged in an early meiotic event, resembling in this respect the regulator kinase CHK-2. Most astonishingly, him-19(jf6) hermaphrodites display worsening of phenotypes with increasing age, whereas defects are more severe in female than in male meiosis. This finding is consistent with depletion of a him-19-dependent factor during the production of oocytes. Further characterization of him-19 could contribute to our understanding of age-dependent meiotic defects in humans.

scholarly journals Mouse TEX15 is essential for DNA double-strand break repair and chromosomal synapsis during male meiosis

2008 ◽  
Vol 180 (4) ◽  
pp. 673-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Yang ◽  
Sigrid Eckardt ◽  
N. Adrian Leu ◽  
K. John McLaughlin ◽  
Peijing Jeremy Wang
Keyword(s):  
Meiotic Recombination ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Male Meiosis ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Homologous Chromosomes ◽  
Recombination Proteins ◽  
Meiotic Chromosomes ◽  
Dna Double Strand Break

During meiosis, homologous chromosomes undergo synapsis and recombination. We identify TEX15 as a novel protein that is required for chromosomal synapsis and meiotic recombination. Loss of TEX15 function in mice causes early meiotic arrest in males but not in females. Specifically, TEX15-deficient spermatocytes exhibit a failure in chromosomal synapsis. In mutant spermatocytes, DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are formed, but localization of the recombination proteins RAD51 and DMC1 to meiotic chromosomes is severely impaired. Based on these data, we propose that TEX15 regulates the loading of DNA repair proteins onto sites of DSBs and, thus, its absence causes a failure in meiotic recombination.

scholarly journals The BRCA1-BARD1 complex associates with the synaptonemal complex and pro-crossover factors and influences RAD-51 dynamics during Caenorhabditis elegans meiosis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Janisiw ◽  
Maria Rosaria Dello Stritto ◽  
Verena Jantsch ◽  
Nicola Silva
Keyword(s):  
Dna Repair ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Synaptonemal Complex ◽  
Meiotic Prophase ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Pivotal Role ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Homologous Chromosomes ◽  
Meiotic Prophase I

AbstractDuring meiosis, the maternal and paternal homologous chromosomes must align along their entire length and recombine to achieve faithful segregation in the gametes. Meiotic recombination is accomplished through the formation of DNA double-strand breaks, a subset of which can mature into crossovers to link the parental homologous chromosomes and promote their segregation. Breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility protein BRCA1 and its heterodimeric partner BARD1 play a pivotal role in DNA repair in mitotic cells; however, their functions in gametogenesis are less well understood. Here we show that localization of BRC-1 and BRD-1 (Caenorhabditis elegans orthologues of BRCA1 and BARD1) is dynamic during meiotic prophase I; they ultimately becoming concentrated at regions surrounding the presumptive crossover sites, co-localizing with the pro-crossover factors COSA-1, MSH-5 and ZHP-3. The synaptonemal complex is essential for BRC-1 loading onto chromosomes but recombination is not. BRC-1 forms an in vivo complex with the synaptonemal complex component SYP-3 and the crossover-promoting factor MSH-5. Furthermore, BRC-1 is essential for efficient stage-specific recruitment of the RAD-51 recombinase to DNA damage sites when synapsis is impaired and upon induction of exogenous DNA double-strand breaks. Taken together, our data provide new insights into the localization and meiotic function of the BRC-1–BRD-1 complex and highlight their essential role in DNA double-strand break repair during gametogenesis.Author summarySexually reproducing species rely on meiosis to transmit their genetic information across generations. Parental chromosomes (homologues) undergo many distinctive processes in their complex journey from attachment to segregation. The physiological induction of DNA double strand breaks is crucial for promoting correct chromosome segregation: they are needed to activate the DNA repair machinery responsible for creating physical connections, or crossovers (COs), between the homologues. In turn, crossovers promote the accurate segregation of the chromosomes in daughter cells. The BRCA1–BARD1 complex has a pivotal role during DNA repair in somatic cells and is exclusively located on unaligned chromosomal regions during mammalian meiosis. We show that in Caenorhabditis elegans, BRCA1 and BARD1 localize to chromosomes at all stages of meiotic prophase I and are enriched at presumptive crossover sites. We found that BRCA1 promotes DNA loading of the repair factor RAD-51 in specific mutant backgrounds and upon exogenous damage induction. Our data provide evidence for a direct physical association between BRCA1 and pro-crossover factors (including the synaptonemal complex) and identify an important role for BRCA1 in stimulating meiotic DNA repair. Further studies are necessary to identify the substrates acted upon by BRCA1–BARD1 complex to maintain genome stability in the gametes.

scholarly journals Chromosome-autonomous feedback downregulates meiotic DSB competence upon synaptonemal complex formation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojing Mu ◽  
Hajime Murakami ◽  
Neeman Mohibullah ◽  
Scott Keeney
Keyword(s):  
Synaptonemal Complex ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Homologous Chromosomes ◽  
Protein Dissociation ◽  
Homeologous Chromosome ◽  
Prolonged Retention ◽  
Synaptonemal Complex Formation ◽  
Insight Into

The number of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) initiating meiotic recombination is elevated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants that are globally defective in forming crossovers and synaptonemal complex (SC), a protein scaffold juxtaposing homologous chromosomes. These mutants thus appear to lack a negative feedback loop that inhibits DSB formation when homologs engage one another. This feedback is predicted to be chromosome autonomous, but this has not been tested. Moreover, what chromosomal process is recognized as "homolog engagement" remains unclear. To address these questions, we evaluated effects of homolog engagement defects restricted to small portions of the genome using karyotypically abnormal yeast strains with a homeologous chromosome V pair, monosomic V, or trisomy XV. We found that homolog-engagement-defective chromosomes incurred more DSBs, concomitant with prolonged retention of the DSB-promoting protein Rec114, while the rest of the genome remained unaffected. SC-deficient, crossover-proficient mutants ecm11 and gmc2 experienced increased DSB numbers diagnostic of homolog engagement defects. These findings support the hypothesis that SC formation provokes DSB protein dissociation, leading in turn to loss of a DSB competent state. Our findings show that DSB number is regulated in a chromosome-autonomous fashion and provide insight into how homeostatic DSB controls respond to aneuploidy during meiosis.

scholarly journals Four-pronged negative feedback of DSB machinery in meiotic DNA-break control in mice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ihsan Dereli ◽  
Marcello Stanzione ◽  
Fabrizio Olmeda ◽  
Frantzeskos Papanikos ◽  
Marek Baumann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Feedback ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Homologous Chromosomes ◽  
Damage Response ◽  
Auxiliary Protein ◽  
Genomic Locations ◽  
Spatiotemporal Control

Abstract In most taxa, halving of chromosome numbers during meiosis requires that homologous chromosomes (homologues) pair and form crossovers. Crossovers emerge from the recombination-mediated repair of programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). DSBs are generated by SPO11, whose activity requires auxiliary protein complexes, called pre-DSB recombinosomes. To elucidate the spatiotemporal control of the DSB machinery, we focused on an essential SPO11 auxiliary protein, IHO1, which serves as the main anchor for pre-DSB recombinosomes on chromosome cores, called axes. We discovered that DSBs restrict the DSB machinery by at least four distinct pathways in mice. Firstly, by activating the DNA damage response (DDR) kinase ATM, DSBs restrict pre-DSB recombinosome numbers without affecting IHO1. Secondly, in their vicinity, DSBs trigger IHO1 depletion mainly by another DDR kinase, ATR. Thirdly, DSBs enable homologue synapsis, which promotes the depletion of IHO1 and pre-DSB recombinosomes from synapsed axes. Finally, DSBs and three DDR kinases, ATM, ATR and PRKDC, enable stage-specific depletion of IHO1 from all axes. We hypothesize that these four negative feedback pathways protect genome integrity by ensuring that DSBs form without excess, are well-distributed, and are restricted to genomic locations and prophase stages where DSBs are functional for promoting homologue pairing and crossover formation.

scholarly journals End-resection at DNA double-strand breaks in the three domains of life

2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 314-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
John K. Blackwood ◽  
Neil J. Rzechorzek ◽  
Sian M. Bray ◽  
Joseph D. Maman ◽  
Luca Pellegrini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Repair ◽  
Homologous Recombination ◽  
Strand Break ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Homologous Chromosomes ◽  
Domains Of Life ◽  
Strand Invasion ◽  
End Resection

During DNA repair by HR (homologous recombination), the ends of a DNA DSB (double-strand break) must be resected to generate single-stranded tails, which are required for strand invasion and exchange with homologous chromosomes. This 5′–3′ end-resection of the DNA duplex is an essential process, conserved across all three domains of life: the bacteria, eukaryota and archaea. In the present review, we examine the numerous and redundant helicase and nuclease systems that function as the enzymatic analogues for this crucial process in the three major phylogenetic divisions.

scholarly journals Tetrahymena Meiotic Nuclear Reorganization Is Induced by a Checkpoint Kinase–dependent Response to DNA Damage

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 2428-2437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josef Loidl ◽  
Kazufumi Mochizuki
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Kinase Inhibitors ◽  
Signal Transduction Pathway ◽  
Dna Lesions ◽  
Meiotic Pairing ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Nuclear Reorganization ◽  
Bivalent Formation ◽  
Atr Kinase

In the ciliate Tetrahymena, meiotic micronuclei (MICs) undergo extreme elongation, and meiotic pairing and recombination take place within these elongated nuclei (the “crescents”). We have previously shown that elongation does not occur in the absence of Spo11p-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Here we show that elongation is restored in spo11Δ mutants by various DNA-damaging agents including ones that may not cause DSBs to a notable extent. MIC elongation following Spo11p-induced DSBs or artificially induced DNA lesions is probably a DNA-damage response mediated by a phosphokinase signal transduction pathway, since it is suppressed by the ATM/ATR kinase inhibitors caffeine and wortmannin and by knocking out Tetrahymena's ATR orthologue. MIC elongation occurs concomitantly with the movement of centromeres away from the telomeric pole of the MIC. This DNA damage–dependent reorganization of the MIC helps to arrange homologous chromosomes alongside each other but is not sufficient for exact pairing. Thus, Spo11p contributes to bivalent formation in two ways: by creating a favorable spatial disposition of homologues and by stabilizing pairing by crossovers. The polarized chromosome orientation inside the crescent resembles the conserved meiotic bouquet, and crescent and bouquet also share the putative function of aiding meiotic pairing. However, they are regulated differently because in Tetrahymena, DSBs are required for entering rather than exiting this stage.

scholarly journals Unexpected behavior of DNA polymerase Mu opposite template 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-guanosine

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (17) ◽  
pp. 9410-9422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea M Kaminski ◽  
Kishore K Chiruvella ◽  
Dale A Ramsden ◽  
Thomas A Kunkel ◽  
Katarzyna Bebenek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Nonhomologous End Joining ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
End Joining ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Steady State Kinetics ◽  
Ligase Iv ◽  
Template Dna ◽  
Dna Substrate

Abstract DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) resulting from reactive oxygen species generated by exposure to UV and ionizing radiation are characterized by clusters of lesions near break sites. Such complex DSBs are repaired slowly, and their persistence can have severe consequences for human health. We have therefore probed DNA break repair containing a template 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-guanosine (8OG) by Family X Polymerase μ (Pol μ) in steady-state kinetics and cell-based assays. Pol μ tolerates 8OG-containing template DNA substrates, and the filled products can be subsequently ligated by DNA Ligase IV during Nonhomologous end-joining. Furthermore, Pol μ exhibits a strong preference for mutagenic bypass of 8OG by insertion of adenine. Crystal structures reveal that the template 8OG is accommodated in the Pol μ active site with none of the DNA substrate distortions observed for Family X siblings Pols β or λ. Kinetic characterization of template 8OG bypass indicates that Pol μ inserts adenosine nucleotides with weak sugar selectivity and, given the high cellular concentration of ATP, likely performs its role in repair of complex 8OG-containing DSBs using ribonucleotides.

scholarly journals Ndj1, a Telomere-Associated Protein, Promotes Meiotic Recombination in Budding Yeast

2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 3683-3694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsin-Yen Wu ◽  
Sean M. Burgess
Keyword(s):  
Meiotic Recombination ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Homology Search ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Homologous Chromosomes ◽  
Synaptonemal Complex Formation ◽  
Strand Invasion ◽  
Double Holliday Junction ◽  
Meiosis I

ABSTRACT Dynamic telomere repositioning is a prominent feature of meiosis. Deletion of a telomere-associated protein, Ndj1, results in the failure of both attachment and clustering of telomeres at the nuclear envelope and delays several landmarks of meiosis I, such as pairing, synaptonemal complex formation, and timing of the meiosis I division. We explored the role of Ndj1 in meiotic recombination, which occurs through the formation and repair of programmed double-strand breaks. The ndj1Δ mutation allows for the formation of the first detectable strand invasion intermediate (i.e., single-end invasion) with wild-type kinetics; however, it confers a delay in the formation of the double-Holliday junction intermediate and both crossover and noncrossover products. These results challenge the widely held notion that clustering of telomeres in meiosis promotes the ability of homologous chromosomes to find one another in budding Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We propose that an Ndj1-dependent function is critical for stabilizing analogous strand invasion intermediates that exist in two separate branches of the bifurcated pathway, leading to either noncrossover or crossover formation. These findings provide a link between telomere dynamics and a distinct mechanistic step of meiotic recombination that follows the homology search.

scholarly journals Modulation of Prdm9-controlled meiotic chromosome asynapsis overrides hybrid sterility in mice

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sona Gregorova ◽  
Vaclav Gergelits ◽  
Irena Chvatalova ◽  
Tanmoy Bhattacharyya ◽  
Barbora Valiskova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Meiotic Chromosome ◽  
Hybrid Sterility ◽  
Mouse Strains ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Homologous Chromosomes ◽  
Recombination Hotspots ◽  
Chromosome Synapsis ◽  
Reproductive Isolation Mechanisms

AbstractThe infertility of hybrids between closely related species is one of the reproductive isolation mechanisms leading to speciation. Prdm9, the only known vertebrate hybrid sterility gene causes failure of meiotic chromosome synapsis and infertility in male hybrids between mouse strains derived from two mouse subspecies. Within species Prdm9 determines the sites of programmed DNA double-strand breaks and meiotic recombination hotspots. To investigate the relation between Prdm9-controlled meiotic arrest and asynapsis, we inserted random stretches of consubspecific homology on several autosomal pairs in sterile hybrids and analyzed their ability to form synaptonemal complexes and rescue male fertility. Twenty-seven or more Mb of consubspecific homology fully restored synapsis in a given autosomal pair and we predicted that two symmetric DSBs or more per chromosome are necessary for successful meiosis. We hypothesize that impaired recombination between evolutionary diverged homologous chromosomes could function as one of the mechanisms of hybrid sterility occurring in various sexually reproducing species.

scholarly journals DNA-dependent macromolecular condensation drives self-assembly of the meiotic DNA break machinery

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corentin Claeys Bouuaert ◽  
Stephen Pu ◽  
Juncheng Wang ◽  
Dinshaw J. Patel ◽  
Scott Keeney
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Chromosome Structure ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Breakage ◽  
And Control

Formation of meiotic DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by Spo11 is tightly regulated and tied to chromosome structure, but the higher-order assemblies that execute and control DNA breakage are poorly understood. We address this question through molecular characterization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae RMM proteins (Rec114, Mei4 and Mer2)—essential, conserved components of the DSB machinery. Each subcomplex of Rec114–Mei4 (2:1 heterotrimer) or Mer2 (homotetrameric coiled coil) is monodisperse in solution, but they independently condense with DNA into dynamic, reversible nucleoprotein clusters that share properties with phase-separated systems. Multivalent interactions drive condensation, which correlates with DSB formation in vivo. Condensates fuse into mixed Rec114–Mei4–Mer2 clusters that further recruit Spo11 complexes. Our data show how the DSB machinery self-assembles on chromosome axes to create centers of DSB activity. We propose that multilayered control of Spo11 arises from recruitment of regulatory components and modulation of biophysical properties of the condensates.

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