scholarly journals Positive and Negative Roles of Homologous Recombination in the Maintenance of Genome Stability inSaccharomyces cerevisiae

Genetics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 164 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jumpei Yoshida ◽  
Keiko Umezu ◽  
Hisaji Maki

AbstractIn previous studies of the loss of heterozygosity (LOH), we analyzed a hemizygous URA3 marker on chromosome III in S. cerevisiae and showed that homologous recombination is involved in processes that lead to LOH in multiple ways, including allelic recombination, chromosome size alterations, and chromosome loss. To investigate the role of homologous recombination more precisely, we examined LOH events in rad50Δ, rad51Δ, rad52Δ, rad50Δ rad52Δ, and rad51Δ rad52Δ mutants. As compared to Rad+ cells, the frequency of LOH was significantly increased in all mutants, and most events were chromosome loss. Other LOH events were differentially affected in each mutant: the frequencies of all types of recombination were decreased in rad52 mutants and enhanced in rad50 mutants. The rad51 mutation increased the frequency of ectopic but not allelic recombination. Both the rad52 and rad51 mutations increased the frequency of intragenic point mutations ∼25-fold, suggesting that alternative mutagenic pathways partially substitute for homologous recombination. Overall, these results indicate that all of the genes are required for chromosome maintenance and that they most likely function in homologous recombination between sister chromatids. In contrast, other recombination pathways can occur at a substantial level even in the absence of one of the genes and contribute to generating various chromosome rearrangements.

Genetics ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 156 (4) ◽  
pp. 1531-1548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mina Hiraoka ◽  
Kei-ichi Watanabe ◽  
Keiko Umezu ◽  
Hisaji Maki

Abstract To obtain a broad perspective of the events leading to spontaneous loss of heterozygosity (LOH), we have characterized the genetic alterations that functionally inactivated the URA3 marker hemizygously or heterozygously situated either on chromosome III or chromosome V in diploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. Analysis of chromosome structure in a large number of LOH clones by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and PCR showed that chromosome loss, allelic recombination, and chromosome aberration were the major classes of genetic alterations leading to LOH. The frequencies of chromosome loss and chromosome aberration were significantly affected when the marker was located in different chromosomes, suggesting that chromosome-specific elements may affect the processes that led to these alterations. Aberrant-sized chromosomes were detected readily in ∼8% of LOH events when the URA3 marker was placed in chromosome III. Molecular mechanisms underlying the chromosome aberrations were further investigated by studying the fate of two other genetic markers on chromosome III. Chromosome aberration caused by intrachromosomal rearrangements was predominantly due to a deletion between the MAT and HMR loci that occurred at a frequency of 3.1 × 10-6. Another type of chromosome aberration, which occurred at a frequency slightly higher than that of the intrachromosomal deletion, appeared to be caused by interchromosomal rearrangement, including unequal crossing over between homologous chromatids and translocation with another chromosome.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3207-3217
Author(s):  
Enrico Sandro Colizzi ◽  
Paulien Hogeweg

Abstract Clashes between transcription and replication complexes can cause point mutations and chromosome rearrangements on heavily transcribed genes. In eukaryotic ribosomal RNA genes, the system that prevents transcription–replication conflicts also causes frequent copy number variation. Such fast mutational dynamics do not alter growth rates in yeast and are thus selectively near neutral. It was recently found that yeast regulates these mutations by means of a signaling cascade that depends on the availability of nutrients. Here, we investigate the long-term evolutionary effect of the mutational dynamics observed in yeast. We developed an in silico model of single-cell organisms whose genomes mutate more frequently when transcriptional load is larger. We show that mutations induced by high transcriptional load are beneficial when biased toward gene duplications and deletions: they decrease mutational load even though they increase the overall mutation rates. In contrast, genome stability is compromised when mutations are not biased toward gene duplications and deletions, even when mutations occur much less frequently. Taken together, our results show that the mutational dynamics observed in yeast are beneficial for the long-term stability of the genome and pave the way for a theory of evolution where genetic operators are themselves cause and outcome of the evolutionary dynamics.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel E Langston ◽  
Dominic Palazzola ◽  
Erin Bonnell ◽  
Raymund J. Wellinger ◽  
Ted Weinert

AbstractIn budding yeast, Cdc13, Stn1, and Ten1 form a telomere binding heterotrimer dubbed CST. Here we investigate the role of Cdc13/CST in maintaining genome stability, using a Chr VII disome system that can generate recombinants, loss, and enigmatic unstable chromosomes. In cells expressing a temperature sensitive CDC13 allele, cdc13F684S, unstable chromosomes frequently arise due to problems in or near a telomere. Hence, when Cdc13 is defective, passage through S phase causes Exo1-dependent ssDNA and unstable chromosomes, which then are the source for whole chromosome instability events (e.g. recombinants, chromosome truncations, dicentrics, and/or loss). Specifically, genome instability arises from a defect in Cdc13’s replication-dependent telomere capping function, not Cdc13s putative post-replication telomere capping function. Furthermore, the unstable chromosomes form without involvement of homologous recombination nor non-homologous end joining. Our data suggest that a Cdc13/CST defect in semi-conservative replication near the telomere leads to ssDNA and unstable chromosomes, which then are lost or subject to complex rearrangements. This system defines a links between replication-dependent chromosome capping and genome stability in the form of unstable chromosomes.


2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina H. Schmidt ◽  
Emilie B. Viebranz ◽  
Lorena B. Harris ◽  
Hamed Mirzaei-Souderjani ◽  
Salahuddin Syed ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Rev3 polymerase and Mph1 DNA helicase participate in error-prone and error-free pathways, respectively, for the bypassing of template lesions during DNA replication. Here we have investigated the role of these pathways and their genetic interaction with recombination factors, other nonreplicative DNA helicases, and DNA damage checkpoint components in the maintenance of genome stability, viability, and sensitivity to the DNA-damaging agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS). We find that cells lacking Rev3 and Mph1 exhibit a synergistic, Srs2-dependent increase in the rate of accumulating spontaneous, gross chromosomal rearrangements, suggesting that the suppression of point mutations by deletion of REV3 may lead to chromosomal rearrangements. While mph1Δ is epistatic to homologous recombination (HR) genes, both Rad51 and Rad52, but not Rad59, are required for normal growth of the rev3Δ mutant and are essential for survival of rev3Δ cells during exposure to MMS, indicating that Mph1 acts in a Rad51-dependent, Rad59-independent subpathway of HR-mediated lesion bypass. Deletion of MPH1 helicase leads to synergistic DNA damage sensitivity increases in cells with chl1Δ or rrm3Δ helicase mutations, whereas mph1Δ is hypostatic to sgs1Δ. Previously reported slow growth of mph1Δ srs2Δ cells is accompanied by G2/M arrest and fully suppressed by disruption of the Mec3-dependent DNA damage checkpoint. We propose a model for replication fork rescue mediated by translesion DNA synthesis and homologous recombination that integrates the role of Mph1 in unwinding D loops and its genetic interaction with Rev3 and Srs2-regulated pathways in the suppression of spontaneous genome rearrangements and in mutation avoidance.


Genetics ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 135 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-296
Author(s):  
P K Foreman ◽  
R W Davis

Abstract Centromere binding factor 1 (Cbf1p or CP1) binds to the CDEI region of Saccharomyces cerevisiae centromeres and is a member of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) class of proteins. Deletion of the gene encoding Cbf1p results in an increased frequency of chromosome loss, hypersensitivity to low levels of microtubule disrupting drugs (such as thiabendazole and benomyl) and methionine auxotrophy. By polymerase chain reaction-based random mutagenesis of the CBF1 gene we have obtained a number of mutant alleles that make full-length protein with impaired function. The mutations in these alleles are clustered in or just downstream from the bHLH domain. Among the alleles obtained was a class that was more compromised for transcriptional activation and a class that was more compromised for chromosome loss and thiabendazole hypersensitivity. These results indicate that at least some aspects of the role of Cbf1p in chromosome segregation and transcriptional activation are distinct. In contrast, increased chromosome loss and thiabendazole hypersensitivity were not separated in any of the alleles, suggesting that these phenotypes reflect the same mechanistic defect. These observations are consistent with a model that suggests that one role of Cbf1p in chromosome segregation may be to improve the efficiency with which contact between the kinetochore and spindle microtubules is established or maintained.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 800-818
Author(s):  
Zujian Xiong ◽  
Xuejun Li ◽  
Qi Yang

Pituitary Tumor Transforming Gene (PTTG) of human is known as a checkpoint gene in the middle and late stages of mitosis, and is also a proto-oncogene that promotes cell cycle progression. In the nucleus, PTTG works as securin in controlling the mid-term segregation of sister chromatids. Overexpression of PTTG, entering the nucleus with the help of PBF in pituitary adenomas, participates in the regulation of cell cycle, interferes with DNA repair, induces genetic instability, transactivates FGF-2 and VEGF and promotes angiogenesis and tumor invasion. Simultaneously, overexpression of PTTG induces tumor cell senescence through the DNA damage pathway, making pituitary adenoma possessing the potential self-limiting ability. To elucidate the mechanism of PTTG in the regulation of pituitary adenomas, we focus on both the positive and negative function of PTTG and find out key factors interacted with PTTG in pituitary adenomas. Furthermore, we discuss other possible mechanisms correlate with PTTG in pituitary adenoma initiation and development and the potential value of PTTG in clinical treatment.


Author(s):  
Bipin Singh

: The recent outbreak of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 or 2019-nCoV) and its worldwide spread is posing one of the major threats to human health and the world economy. It has been suggested that SARS-CoV-2 is similar to SARSCoV based on the comparison of the genome sequence. Despite the genomic similarity between SARS-CoV-2 and SARSCoV, the spike glycoprotein and receptor binding domain in SARS-CoV-2 shows the considerable difference compared to SARS-CoV, due to the presence of several point mutations. The analysis of receptor binding domain (RBD) from recently published 3D structures of spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 (Yan, R., et al. (2020); Wrapp, D., et al. (2020); Walls, A. C., et al. (2020)) highlights the contribution of a few key point mutations in RBD of spike glycoprotein and molecular basis of its efficient binding with human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2).


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2547
Author(s):  
Keunsoo Kang ◽  
Yoonjung Choi ◽  
Hyeonjin Moon ◽  
Chaelin You ◽  
Minjin Seo ◽  
...  

RAD51 is a recombinase that plays a pivotal role in homologous recombination. Although the role of RAD51 in homologous recombination has been extensively studied, it is unclear whether RAD51 can be involved in gene regulation as a co-factor. In this study, we found evidence that RAD51 may contribute to the regulation of genes involved in the autophagy pathway with E-box proteins such as USF1, USF2, and/or MITF in GM12878, HepG2, K562, and MCF-7 cell lines. The canonical USF binding motif (CACGTG) was significantly identified at RAD51-bound cis-regulatory elements in all four cell lines. In addition, genome-wide USF1, USF2, and/or MITF-binding regions significantly coincided with the RAD51-associated cis-regulatory elements in the same cell line. Interestingly, the promoters of genes associated with the autophagy pathway, such as ATG3 and ATG5, were significantly occupied by RAD51 and regulated by RAD51 in HepG2 and MCF-7 cell lines. Taken together, these results unveiled a novel role of RAD51 and provided evidence that RAD51-associated cis-regulatory elements could possibly be involved in regulating autophagy-related genes with E-box binding proteins.


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