Localization of Male-Specifically Expressed MROS Genes of Silene latifolia by PCR on Flow-Sorted Sex Chromosomes and Autosomes

Abstract The dioecious white campion Silene latifolia (syn. Melandrium album) has heteromorphic sex chromosomes, XX in females and XY in males, that are larger than the autosomes and enable their separation by flow sorting. The group of MROS genes, the first male-specifically expressed genes in dioecious plants, was recently identified in S. latifolia. To localize the MROS genes, we used the flow-sorted X chromosomes and autosomes as a template for PCR with internal primers. Our results indicate that the MROS3 gene is located in at least two copies tandemly arranged on the X chromosome with additional copy(ies) on the autosome(s), while MROS1, MROS2, and MROS4 are exclusively autosomal. The specificity of PCR products was checked by digestion with a restriction enzyme or reamplification using nested primers. Homology search of databases has shown the presence of five MROS3 homologues in A. thaliana, four of them arranged in two tandems, each consisting of two copies. We conclude that MROS3 is a low-copy gene family, connected with the proper pollen development, which is present not only in dioecious but also in other dicot plant species.

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C-banded karyotypes of two Silene species with heteromorphic sex chromosomes

Genome ◽

10.1139/g01-143 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 45 (2) ◽

pp. 243-252 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Aleksandra Grabowska-Joachimiak ◽

Andrzej Joachimiak

Keyword(s):

Sex Chromosomes ◽

Sex Chromosome ◽

Silene Latifolia ◽

Silene Dioica ◽

Dna Amount ◽

Metaphase Chromosomes ◽

X Chromosomes ◽

C Banding ◽

Y Chromosomes ◽

Heteromorphic Sex Chromosomes

Mitotic metaphase chromosomes of Silene latifolia (white campion) and Silene dioica (red campion) were studied and no substantial differences between the conventional karyotypes of these two species were detected. The classification of chromosomes into three distinct groups proposed for S. latifolia by Ciupercescu and colleagues was considered and discussed. Additionally, a new small satellite on the shorter arm of homobrachial chromosome 5 was found. Giemsa C-banded chromosomes of the two analysed species show many fixed and polymorphic heterochromatic bands, mainly distally and centromerically located. Our C-banding studies provided an opportunity to better characterize the sex chromosomes and some autosome types, and to detect differences between the two Silene karyotypes. It was shown that S. latifolia possesses a larger amount of polymorphic heterochromatin, especially of the centromeric type. The two Silene sex chromosomes are easily distinguishable not only by length or DNA amount differences but also by their Giemsa C-banding patterns. All Y chromosomes invariably show only one distally located band, and no other fixed or polymorphic bands on this chromosome were observed in either species. The X chromosomes possess two terminally located fixed bands, and some S. latifolia X chromosomes also have an extra-centric segment of variable length. The heterochromatin amount and distribution revealed by our Giemsa C-banding studies provide a clue to the problem of sex chromosome and karyotype evolution in these two closely related dioecious Silene species.Key words: dioecious plant, Silene dioica, Silene latifolia, karyotype, sex chromosomes, heterochromatin, C-banding.

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DIFFERENTIAL DNA REPLICATION IN THE XX AND XY CELLS OF MUSCA DOMESTICA L. OCRA STRAIN

Canadian Journal of Genetics and Cytology ◽

10.1139/g70-065 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 461-473 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

K. Y. Jan ◽

J. W. Boyes

Keyword(s):

Dna Replication ◽

Musca Domestica ◽

Sex Chromosomes ◽

Chromosome Length ◽

Final Part ◽

X Chromosomes ◽

Y Chromosomes ◽

Heteromorphic Sex Chromosomes ◽

Autosomal Pair ◽

Differential Dna Replication

The karyotype of Musca domestica L. ocra strain, consists of the sex chromosomes and five autosomal pairs. The heteromorphic sex chromosomes are heterochromatic and mitotically unpaired, whereas the autosomes are euchromatic and mitotically paired. All autosomal pairs and both X and Y chromosomes are cytologically recognizable.The relative labelling rate, R (in terms of the number of grains counted per 100 labelled metaphases per μ of chromosome length) for the sex chromosomes and for each autosomal pair was followed from 1.5 hours to 8 hours after H3TdR injection. The pattern of labelling rate was similar for the different autosomal pairs in the XX cells but this pattern for the autosomal pairs in the XY cells, though also similar for the different pairs, differed appreciably from that found in the XX cells. The pattern of the labelling rate for the X chromosomes was similar in the XX and XY cells. Also the pattern of labelling rate for the X and Y chromosomes was similar during the final part of the replication period. The two X chromosomes in the XX cells and the X and Y chromosomes in the XY cells completed labelling later than the autosomes.

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Y chromosome specific markers and the evolution of dioecy in the genus Silene

Genome ◽

10.1139/g97-094 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 41 (2) ◽

pp. 141-147 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Y Hi Zhang ◽

Veronica S Stilio ◽

Farah Rehman ◽

Amy Avery ◽

David Mulcahy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Y Chromosome ◽

Sex Chromosomes ◽

Silene Latifolia ◽

Dioecious Species ◽

Sequence Characterized Amplified Region ◽

Y Chromosomes ◽

Heteromorphic Sex Chromosomes ◽

Males And Females ◽

Genus Silene ◽

Evolution Of Dioecy

Sex determination in plants has been most thoroughly investigated in Silene latifolia, a dioecious species possessing heteromorphic sex chromosomes. We have identified several new Y chromosome linked RAPD markers and converted these to more reliable sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers by cloning the RAPD fragments and developing longer primers. Of the primer pairs for seven SCARs, five amplify a single, unique fragment from the DNA of male S. latifolia. Two sets of primers also amplify additional fragments common to males and females. Homology between the X and Y chromosomes is sufficient to allow the amplification of fragments from females under less stringent PCR conditions. Five of the SCARs also distinguish between the sexes of closely related dioecious taxa of the section Elisanthe, but not between the sexes of distantly related dioecious species. These markers will be useful for continued investigations into the evolution of sex, phylogenetic relationships among taxa, and population dynamics of sex ratios in the genus Silene.Key words: Melandrium, RAPDs, sex chromosomes, SCARs.

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Euchromatic domains in plant chromosomes as revealed by H4 histone acetylation and early DNA replication

Genome ◽

10.1139/g98-133 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 42 (2) ◽

pp. 343-350 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Boris Vyskot ◽

Jiri Siroky ◽

Renata Hladilova ◽

Nikolai D Belyaev ◽

Bryan M Turner

Keyword(s):

Dna Replication ◽

Sex Chromosomes ◽

Silene Latifolia ◽

Histone H4 ◽

X Chromosomes ◽

Plant Chromosomes ◽

Histone H4 Acetylation ◽

Immunofluorescence Labeling ◽

Silene Species ◽

Chromosome Regions

Using specific polyclonal antisera raised against acetylated isoforms of histone H4, we have analyzed their distribution in the dioecious plant Silene latifolia (syn.Melandrium album) possessing heteromorphic sex chromosomes. Our previous studies on this species have shown that one of the two X chromosomes in homogametic female cells is heavily methylated and late replicating, as a possible consequence of dosage compensation. Here we report that there are no detectable differences in intensity and distribution of H4 acetylation between these two X chromosomes. In S. latifolia only distal-subtelomeric chromosome regions, on both the sex chromosomes and autosomes, display strong signals of H4 acetylation at N-terminal lysines 5, 8, and 12. These acetylated domains correspond to the very early replicating distal chromosome regions as revealed by 5-bromodeoxyuridine pulses followed by the indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. The distribution of H4 acetylated at lysine 16 was uniform along the chromosomes. The unique distal-subtelomeric H4 acetylation signals were also observed in three other Silene species (S. vulgaris, S. pendula, andS. chalcedonica), but not in two non-related plant species tested (Allium cepa and Nicotiana tabacum). The presented data as well as our recent studies on the structure of S. latifolia chromosome ends indicate that Silene species possess the specific distal-subtelomeric location of euchromatin, gene-rich regions on chromosomes.Key words: histone H4 acetylation, DNA replication, euchromatin, immunofluorescence labeling, Silene spp.

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Mixed-Up Sex Chromosomes: Identification of Sex Chromosomes in the X1X1X2X2/X1X2Y System of the Legless Lizards of the Genus Lialis (Squamata: Gekkota: Pygopodidae)

Cytogenetic and Genome Research ◽

10.1159/000450734 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 149 (4) ◽

pp. 282-289 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Michail Rovatsos ◽

Martina Johnson Pokorná ◽

Marie Altmanová ◽

Lukáš Kratochvíl

Keyword(s):

Sex Chromosomes ◽

Sex Chromosome ◽

Comparative Genomic ◽

X Chromosomes ◽

Telomeric Sequences ◽

Multiple Sex Chromosomes ◽

Y Chromosomes ◽

Heteromorphic Sex Chromosomes ◽

Cytogenetic Analyses ◽

Male Heterogamety

Geckos in general show extensive variability in sex determining systems, but only male heterogamety has been demonstrated in the members of their legless family Pygopodidae. In the pioneering study published more than 45 years ago, multiple sex chromosomes of the type X1X1X2X2/X1X2Y were described in Burton's legless lizard (Lialisburtonis) based on conventional cytogenetic techniques. We conducted cytogenetic analyses including comparative genomic hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with selected cytogenetic markers in this species and the previously cytogenetically unstudied Papua snake lizard (Lialis jicari) to better understand the nature of these sex chromosomes and their differentiation. Both species possess male heterogamety with an X1X1X2X2/X1X2Y sex chromosome system; however, the Y and one of the X chromosomes are not small chromosomes as previously reported in L. burtonis, but the largest macrochromosomal pair in the karyotype. The Y chromosomes in both species have large heterochromatic blocks with extensive accumulations of GATA and AC microsatellite motifs. FISH with telomeric probe revealed an exclusively terminal position of telomeric sequences in L. jicari (2n = 42 chromosomes in females), but extensive interstitial signals, potentially remnants of chromosomal fusions, in L.burtonis (2n = 34 in females). Our study shows that even largely differentiated and heteromorphic sex chromosomes might be misidentified by conventional cytogenetic analyses and that the application of more sensitive cytogenetic techniques for the identification of sex chromosomes is beneficial even in the classical examples of multiple sex chromosomes.

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Silene latifolia: The Classical Model to Study Heteromorphic Sex Chromosomes

Cytogenetic and Genome Research ◽

10.1159/000314285 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 129 (1-3) ◽

pp. 250-262 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

E. Kejnovsky ◽

B. Vyskot

Keyword(s):

Sex Chromosomes ◽

Classical Model ◽

Silene Latifolia ◽

Heteromorphic Sex Chromosomes

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Bisection of the X chromosome disrupts the initiation of chromosome silencing during meiosis in Caenorhabditis elegans

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-021-24815-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yisrael Rappaport ◽

Hanna Achache ◽

Roni Falk ◽

Omer Murik ◽

Oren Ram ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽

Rna Polymerase Ii ◽

X Chromosome ◽

Sex Chromosomes ◽

Sex Chromosome ◽

Transcription Analysis ◽

X Chromosomes ◽

Unique Character ◽

Active Transcription ◽

Heterogametic Sex

AbstractDuring meiosis, gene expression is silenced in aberrantly unsynapsed chromatin and in heterogametic sex chromosomes. Initiation of sex chromosome silencing is disrupted in meiocytes with sex chromosome-autosome translocations. To determine whether this is due to aberrant synapsis or loss of continuity of sex chromosomes, we engineered Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes with non-translocated, bisected X chromosomes. In early meiocytes of mutant males and hermaphrodites, X segments are enriched with euchromatin assembly markers and active RNA polymerase II staining, indicating active transcription. Analysis of RNA-seq data showed that genes from the X chromosome are upregulated in gonads of mutant worms. Contrary to previous models, which predicted that any unsynapsed chromatin is silenced during meiosis, our data indicate that unsynapsed X segments are transcribed. Therefore, our results suggest that sex chromosome chromatin has a unique character that facilitates its meiotic expression when its continuity is lost, regardless of whether or not it is synapsed.

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The Diversity and Evolution of Sex Chromosomes in Frogs

Genes ◽

10.3390/genes12040483 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 483

Author(s):

Wen-Juan Ma ◽

Paris Veltsos

Keyword(s):

Sex Determination ◽

Sex Chromosomes ◽

Chromosome Evolution ◽

Sex Chromosome ◽

Comparative Genomic ◽

Ancestral State ◽

Heteromorphic Sex Chromosomes ◽

Genomic Studies ◽

Evolutionary Trajectories ◽

Heterogametic Sex

Frogs are ideal organisms for studying sex chromosome evolution because of their diversity in sex chromosome differentiation and sex-determination systems. We review 222 anuran frogs, spanning ~220 Myr of divergence, with characterized sex chromosomes, and discuss their evolution, phylogenetic distribution and transitions between homomorphic and heteromorphic states, as well as between sex-determination systems. Most (~75%) anurans have homomorphic sex chromosomes, with XY systems being three times more common than ZW systems. Most remaining anurans (~25%) have heteromorphic sex chromosomes, with XY and ZW systems almost equally represented. There are Y-autosome fusions in 11 species, and no W-/Z-/X-autosome fusions are known. The phylogeny represents at least 19 transitions between sex-determination systems and at least 16 cases of independent evolution of heteromorphic sex chromosomes from homomorphy, the likely ancestral state. Five lineages mostly have heteromorphic sex chromosomes, which might have evolved due to demographic and sexual selection attributes of those lineages. Males do not recombine over most of their genome, regardless of which is the heterogametic sex. Nevertheless, telomere-restricted recombination between ZW chromosomes has evolved at least once. More comparative genomic studies are needed to understand the evolutionary trajectories of sex chromosomes among frog lineages, especially in the ZW systems.

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