scholarly journals Heterologous synapsis in C. elegans is regulated by meiotic double-strand breaks and crossovers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanwenheng Liu ◽  
Spencer G. Gordon ◽  
Ofer Rog
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Synaptonemal Complex ◽  
Meiotic Prophase ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Homologous Sequences ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Break Formation ◽  
Successful Production

AbstractAlignment of the parental chromosomes during meiotic prophase is key to the formation of genetic exchanges, or crossovers, and consequently to the successful production of gametes. In almost all studied organisms, alignment involves synapsis: the assembly of a conserved inter-chromosomal interface called the synaptonemal complex (SC). While the SC usually synapses homologous sequences, it can assemble between heterologous sequences. However, little is known about the regulation of heterologous synapsis. Here we study the dynamics of heterologous synapsis in the nematode C. elegans. We characterize two experimental scenarios: SC assembly onto a folded-back chromosome that cannot pair with its homologous partner; and synapsis of pseudo-homologs, a fusion chromosome partnering with an unfused chromosome half its size. We observed elevated levels of heterologous synapsis when the number of meiotic double-strand breaks or crossovers were reduced, indicating that the promiscuity of synapsis is regulated by break formation or repair. By manipulating the levels of breaks and crossovers, we infer both chromosome-specific and nucleus-wide regulation on heterologous synapsis. Finally, we identify differences between the two conditions, suggesting that attachment to the nuclear envelope plays a role in regulating heterologous synapsis.

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 Poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase promotes formation and homology-directed repair of meiotic DNA double-strand breaks independent of its catalytic activity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Janisiw ◽  
Marilina Raices ◽  
Fabiola Balmir ◽  
Luis Paulin Paz ◽  
Antoine Baudrimont ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Catalytic Activity ◽  
Synaptonemal Complex ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Post Translational Modification ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Homology Directed Repair ◽  
Damage Repair ◽  
Somatic Tissues

SummaryPoly(ADP-ribosyl)ation is a reversible post-translational modification synthetized by ADP-ribose transferases and removed by poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG), which plays important roles in DNA damage repair. While well-studied in somatic tissues, much less is known about poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation in the germline, where DNA double-strand breaks are introduced by a regulated program and repaired by crossover recombination to establish a tether between homologous chromosomes. The interaction between the parental chromosomes is facilitated by meiotic specific adaptation of the chromosome axes and cohesins, and reinforced by the synaptonemal complex. Here, we uncover an unexpected role for PARG in promoting the induction of meiotic DNA breaks and their homologous recombination-mediated repair in Caenorhabditis elegans. PARG-1/PARG interacts with both axial and central elements of the synaptonemal complex, REC-8/Rec8 and the MRN/X complex. PARG-1 shapes the recombination landscape and reinforces the tightly regulated control of crossover numbers without requiring its catalytic activity. We unravel roles in regulating meiosis, beyond its enzymatic activity in poly(ADP-ribose) catabolism.

scholarly journals Live-cell chromosome dynamics in Arabidopsis thaliana reveals increased chromatin mobility in response to DNA damage

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anis Meschichi ◽  
Adrien Sicard ◽  
Frédéric Pontvianne ◽  
Svenja Reeck ◽  
Stefanie Rosa
Keyword(s):  
Dna Damage ◽  
Arabidopsis Thaliana ◽  
Genome Instability ◽  
High Mobility ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Nuclear Space ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Homologous Sequences ◽  
Damage Response ◽  
Repair Mechanisms

Double-strand breaks (DSBs) are a particularly deleterious type of DNA damage potentially leading to translocations and genome instability. Homologous recombination (HR) is a conservative repair pathway in which intact homologous sequences are used as a template for repair. How damaged DNA molecules search for homologous sequences in the crowded space of the cell nucleus is, however, still poorly understood, especially in plants. Here, we measured global chromosome and DSB site mobility, in Arabidopsis thaliana, by tracking the motion of specific loci using the lacO/LacI tagging system and two GFP-tagged HR regulators, RAD51 and RAD54. We observed an increase in chromatin mobility upon the induction of DNA damage, specifically at the S/G2 phases of the cell cycle. Importantly, this increase in mobility was lost on sog1-1 mutant, a central transcription factor of the DNA damage response (DDR), indicating that repair mechanisms actively regulate chromatin mobility upon DNA damage. Interestingly, we observed that DSB sites show remarkably high mobility levels at the early HR stage. Subsequently, a drastic decrease of DSB mobility is observed, which seems to be associated to the relocation of DSBs to the nucleus periphery. Altogether, our data suggest that changes in chromatin mobility are triggered in response to DNA damage, and that this may act as a mechanism to enhance the physical search within the nuclear space to locate a homologous template during homology-directed DNA repair.

Timing of molecular events in meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: stable heteroduplex DNA is formed late in meiotic prophase

1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 373-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Goyon ◽  
M Lichten
Keyword(s):  
Meiotic Prophase ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Breaks ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Heteroduplex Dna ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Dna Structures ◽  
Double Strand Dna Breaks ◽  
Molecular Events ◽  
The Times

To better understand the means by which chromosomes pair and recombine during meiosis, we have determined the time of appearance of heteroduplex DNA relative to the times of appearance of double-strand DNA breaks and of mature recombined molecules. Site-specific double-strand breaks appeared early in meiosis and were formed and repaired with a timing consistent with a role for breaks as initiators of recombination. Heteroduplex-containing molecules appeared about 1 h after double-strand breaks and were followed shortly by crossover products and the first meiotic nuclear division. We conclude that parental chromosomes are stably joined in heteroduplex-containing structures late in meiotic prophase and that these structures are rapidly resolved to yield mature crossover products. If the chromosome pairing and synapsis observed earlier in meiotic prophase is mediated by formation of biparental DNA structures, these structures most likely either contain regions of non-Watson-Crick base pairs or contain regions of heteroduplex DNA that either are very short or dissociate during DNA purification. Two loci were examined in this study: the normal ARG4 locus, and an artificial locus consisting of an arg4-containing plasmid inserted at MAT. Remarkably, sequences in the ARG4 promoter that suffered double-strand cleavage at the normal ARG4 locus were not cut at significant levels when present at MAT::arg4. These results indicate that the formation of double-strand breaks during meiosis does not simply involve the specific recognition and cleavage of a short nucleotide sequence.

scholarly journals Architecture of the Nuclear Periphery of Rat Pachytene Spermatocytes: Distribution of Nuclear Envelope Proteins in Relation to Synaptonemal Complex Attachment Sites

1999 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1235-1245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manfred Alsheimer ◽  
Elisabeth von Glasenapp ◽  
Robert Hock ◽  
Ricardo Benavente
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Envelope ◽  
Synaptonemal Complex ◽  
Meiotic Prophase ◽  
Nuclear Periphery ◽  
Cell Fractionation ◽  
Nuclear Interior ◽  
Meiotic Chromosomes ◽  
Attachment Sites ◽  
Form Part ◽  
Pachytene Spermatocytes

The nucleus of spermatocytes provides during the first meiotic prophase an interesting model for investigating relationships of the nuclear envelope (NE) with components of the nuclear interior. During the pachytene stage, meiotic chromosomes are synapsed via synaptonemal complexes (SCs) and attached through both ends to the nuclear periphery. This association is dynamic because chromosomes move during the process of synapsis and desynapsis that takes place during meiotic prophase. The NE of spermatocytes possesses some peculiarities (e.g., lower stability than in somatic cells, expression of short meiosis-specific lamin isoforms called C2 and B3) that could be critically involved in this process. For better understanding of the association of chromosomes with the nuclear periphery, in the present study we have investigated the distribution of NE proteins in relation to SC attachment sites. A major outcome was the finding that lamin C2 is distributed in the form of discontinuous domains at the NE of spermatocytes and that SC attachment sites are embedded in these domains. Lamin C2 appears to form part of larger structures as suggested by cell fractionation experiments. According to these results, we propose that the C2-containing domains represent local reinforcements of the NE that are involved in the proper attachment of SCs.

scholarly journals Evidence of protein-free homology recognition in magnetic bead force–extension experiments

2016 ◽  
Vol 472 (2191) ◽  
pp. 20160186 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. (O’) Lee ◽  
C. Danilowicz ◽  
C. Rochester ◽  
A. A. Kornyshev ◽  
M. Prentiss
Keyword(s):  
Single Molecule ◽  
Magnetic Bead ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Theoretical Studies ◽  
Force Extension ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Homologous Sequences ◽  
Force Increase ◽  
Physical Interactions ◽  
Chromosome Regions

Earlier theoretical studies have proposed that the homology-dependent pairing of large tracts of dsDNA may be due to physical interactions between homologous regions. Such interactions could contribute to the sequence-dependent pairing of chromosome regions that may occur in the presence or the absence of double-strand breaks. Several experiments have indicated the recognition of homologous sequences in pure electrolytic solutions without proteins. Here, we report single-molecule force experiments with a designed 60 kb long dsDNA construct; one end attached to a solid surface and the other end to a magnetic bead. The 60 kb constructs contain two 10 kb long homologous tracts oriented head to head, so that their sequences match if the two tracts fold on each other. The distance between the bead and the surface is measured as a function of the force applied to the bead. At low forces, the construct molecules extend substantially less than normal, control dsDNA, indicating the existence of preferential interaction between the homologous regions. The force increase causes no abrupt but continuous unfolding of the paired homologous regions. Simple semi-phenomenological models of the unfolding mechanics are proposed, and their predictions are compared with the data.

scholarly journals Meiotic Double-Strand Breaks Uncover and Protect against Mitotic Errors in the C. elegans Germline

2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (23) ◽  
pp. 2400-2406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deanna Stevens ◽  
Karen Oegema ◽  
Arshad Desai
Keyword(s):  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
C Elegans

Loss Of NIPA Leads To Defects In The Repair Of DNA Double Strand Breaks In Mice

Blood ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 122 (21) ◽  
pp. 2488-2488
Author(s):  
Anna Lena Illert ◽  
Cristina Antinozzi ◽  
Hiroyuki Kawaguchi ◽  
Michal Kulinski ◽  
Christine Klitzing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Dna Damage ◽  
Meiotic Prophase ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Cyclin B1 ◽  
Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Conditional Knockout ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Chromosome Axis

Abstract Regulated oscillation of protein expression is an essential mechanism of cell cycle control. The SCF class of E3 ubiquitin ligases is involved in this process by targeting cell cycle regulatory proteins for degradation by the proteasome. We previously reported the cloning of NIPA (Nuclear Interaction Partner of ALK) in complex with constitutively active oncogenic fusions of ALK, which contributes to the development of lymphomas and sarcomas. Subsequently we characterized NIPA as a F-Box protein that defines an oscillating ubiquitin E3 ligase targeting nuclear cyclin B1 in interphase thus contributing to the timing of mitotic entry. Using a conditional knockout strategy we inactivated the gene encoding Nipa. Nipa-deficient animals are viable, but show a lower birth rate and a reduced body weight. Furthermore, Nipa-deficient males were sterile due to a block of spermatogenesis during meiotic prophase. Virtually no spermatocytes progress beyond a late-zygotene to early-pachytene stage and reach an aberrant stage, with synaptonemal complex disassembly and incomplete synapsis. Nipa-/- females are sub-fertile with an early and severe meiotic defect during embryogenesis with extensive apoptosis in early prophase (E13.5-E14.5). Here we report, that Nipa-/- meiocytes exhibit persistent cytological markers for DNA double strand break repair proteins (like DMC1, RAD51) in meiotic prophase with more than twice as many DMC1 foci as control animals. Kinetic analysis of the first wave of spermatogenesis showed increased DMC1/RAD51 foci in Nipa-/- cells as soon as early-pachynema cells appear (13-14 days post partum). Moreover, we show that Nipa deficiency does not lead to a defect in meiotic sex chromosome inactivation despite epithelial stage IV apoptosis. Nipa-deficient spermatocytes exhibit numerous abnormalities in staining of chromosome axis associated proteins (like SYCP3 and STAG3) indicating that chromosome axis defects were associated with compromised chromosome axis integrity leading to overt chromosome fragmentation. Further in vitro analyses with bleomycin treated MEFs displayed high pH2AX levels in cells lacking NIPA. Repair of DNA DSB seemed to be abolished in these cells as the pH2AX-level were sustained and still visible after 90 min of timecourse, where wildtype cells already repaired sides of DNA Damage. Consistent with these findings NIPA-deficient spleen cells showed compromised DNA Damage repair measured in a comet assay with a significantly longer olive tail moment in NIPA knockout cells under repair conditions. Taken together, the phenotype of Nipa-knockout mice is a definitive proof of the meiotic significance of NIPA and our results show a new, unsuspected role of NIPA in chromosome stability and the repair of DNA double strand breaks. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

scholarly journals The CHK-2 antagonizing phosphatase PPM-1.D regulates meiotic entry via catalytic and non-catalytic activities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoine Baudrimont ◽  
Dimitra Paouneskou ◽  
Ariz Mohammad ◽  
Raffael Lichtenberger ◽  
Joshua Blundon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Meiotic Prophase ◽  
Nuclear Periphery ◽  
Dna Double Strand Breaks ◽  
Timely Initiation ◽  
Regulatory Pathways ◽  
Strand Breaks ◽  
Catalytic Activities ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Transcriptional Regulatory ◽  
Meiotic Entry

The transition from the stem cell/progenitor fate to meiosis is mediated by several redundant post-transcriptional regulatory pathways in C. elegans. Interfering with all three branches causes tumorous germlines. SCFPROM-1 comprises one branch and mediates a scheduled degradation step at entry into meiosis. prom-1 mutants show defects in timely initiation of events of meiotic prophase I, resulting in high rates of embryonic lethality. Here, we identify a crucial substrate for PROM-1, encoded by the phosphatase PPM-1.D/Wip1. We report that it antagonizes CHK-2 kinase, a key regulator for meiotic prophase initiation e.g., DNA double strand breaks, chromosome pairing and synaptonemal complex formation. We propose that PPM-1.D controls the amount of active CHK-2 by both catalytic and non-catalytic activities, where strikingly the non-catalytic regulation seems to be crucial at meiotic entry. PPM-1.D sequesters CHK-2 at the nuclear periphery and programmed SCFPROM-1 mediated degradation of PPM-1.D liberates the kinase and promotes meiotic entry.

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