scholarly journals ZmRAD17 Is Required for Accurate Double-Strand Break Repair During Maize Male Meiosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting Zhang ◽  
Ju-Li Jing ◽  
Lei Liu ◽  
Yan He

RAD17, a replication factor C (RFC)-like DNA damage sensor protein, is involved in DNA checkpoint control and required for both meiosis and mitosis in yeast and mammals. In plant, the meiotic function of RAD17 was only reported in rice so far. Here, we identified and characterized the RAD17 homolog in maize. The Zmrad17 mutants exhibited normal vegetative growth but male was partially sterile. In Zmrad17 pollen mother cells, non-homologous chromosome entanglement and chromosome fragmentation were frequently observed. Immunofluorescence analysis manifested that DSB formation occurred as normal and the loading pattern of RAD51 signals was similar to wild-type at the early stage of prophase I in the mutants. The localization of the axial element ASY1 was normal, while the assembly of the central element ZYP1 was severely disrupted in Zmrad17 meiocytes. Surprisingly, no obvious defect in female sterility was observed in Zmrad17 mutants. Taken together, our results suggest that ZmRAD17 is involved in DSB repair likely by promoting synaptonemal complex assembly in maize male meiosis. These phenomena highlight a high extent of divergence from its counterpart in rice, indicating that the RAD17 dysfunction can result in a drastic dissimilarity in meiotic outcome in different plant species.

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (21) ◽  
pp. 5513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juli Jing ◽  
Ting Zhang ◽  
Yazhong Wang ◽  
Zhenhai Cui ◽  
Yan He

Radiation sensitive 51 (RAD51) recombinases play crucial roles in meiotic double-strand break (DSB) repair mediated by homologous recombination (HR) to ensure the correct segregation of homologous chromosomes. In this study, we identified the meiotic functions of ZmRAD51C, the maize homolog of Arabidopsis and rice RAD51C. The Zmrad51c mutants exhibited regular vegetative growth but complete sterility for both male and female inflorescence. However, the mutants showed hypersensitivity to DNA damage by mitomycin C. Cytological analysis indicated that homologous chromosome pairing and synapsis were rigorously inhibited, and meiotic chromosomes were often entangled from diplotene to metaphase I, leading to chromosome fragmentation at anaphase I. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that although the signals of the axial element absence of first division (AFD1) and asynaptic1 (ASY1) were normal, the assembly of the central element zipper1 (ZYP1) was severely disrupted. The DSB formation was normal in Zmrad51c meiocytes, symbolized by the regular occurrence of γH2AX signals. However, RAD51 and disrupted meiotic cDNA 1 (DMC1) signals were never detected at the early stage of prophase I in the mutant. Taken together, our results indicate that ZmRAD51C functions crucially for both meiotic DSB repair and homologous recombination in maize.


2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (15) ◽  
pp. 5156-5168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue A. Krause ◽  
Marie-Louise Loupart ◽  
Sharron Vass ◽  
Stefan Schoenfelder ◽  
Steve Harrison ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Two alleles of the Drosophila melanogaster Rfc4(DmRfc4) gene, which encodes subunit 4 of the replication factor C (RFC) complex, cause striking defects in mitotic chromosome cohesion and condensation. These mutations produce larval phenotypes consistent with a role in DNA replication but also result in mitotic chromosomal defects appearing either as premature chromosome condensation-like or precocious sister chromatid separation figures. Though the DmRFC4 protein localizes to all replicating nuclei, it is dispersed from chromatin in mitosis. Thus the mitotic defects appear not to be the result of a direct role for RFC4 in chromosome structure. We also show that the mitotic defects in these twoDmRfc4 alleles are the result of aberrant checkpoint control in response to DNA replication inhibition or damage to chromosomes. Not all surveillance function is compromised in these mutants, as the kinetochore attachment checkpoint is operative. Intriguingly, metaphase delay is frequently observed with the more severe of the two alleles, indicating that subsequent chromosome segregation may be inhibited. This is the first demonstration that subunit 4 of RFC functions in checkpoint control in any organism, and our findings additionally emphasize the conserved nature of RFC's involvement in checkpoint control in multicellular eukaryotes.


Genetics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 142 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A McAlear ◽  
K Michelle Tuffo ◽  
Connie Holm

We used genetic and biochemical techniques to characterize the phenotypes associated with mutations affecting the large subunit of replication factor C (Cdc44p or Rfc1p) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We demonstrate that Cdc44p is required for both DNA replication and DNA repair in vivo. Cold-sensitive cdc44 mutants experience a delay in traversing S phase at the restrictive temperature following alpha factor arrest; although mutant cells eventually accumulate with a G2/M DNA content, they undergo a cell cycle arrest and initiate neither mitosis nor a new round of DNA synthesis. cdc44 mutants also exhibit an elevated level of spontaneous mutation, and they are sensitive both to the DNA damaging agent methylmethane sulfonate and to exposure to UV radiation. After exposure to UV radiation, cdc44 mutants at the restrictive temperature contain higher levels of single-stranded DNA breaks than do wild-type cells. This observation is consistent with the hypothesis that Cdc44p is involved in repairing gaps in the DNA after the excision of damaged bases. Thus, Cdc44p plays an important role in both DNA replication and DNA repair in vivo.


The Nucleus ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fajarudin Ahmad ◽  
Yuyu S. Poerba ◽  
Gert H. J. Kema ◽  
Hans de Jong

AbstractBreeding of banana is hampered by its genetic complexity, structural chromosome rearrangements and different ploidy levels. Various scientific disciplines, including cytogenetics, linkage mapping, and bioinformatics, are helpful tools in characterising cultivars and wild relatives used in crossing programs. Chromosome analysis still plays a pivotal role in studying hybrid sterility and structural and numerical variants. In this study, we describe the optimisation of the chromosome spreading protocol of pollen mother cells focusing on the effects of standard fixation methods, duration of the pectolytic enzyme treatment and advantages of fluorescence microscopy of DAPI stained cell spreads. We demonstrate the benefits of this protocol on meiotic features of five wild diploid Musa acuminata bananas and a diploid (AA) cultivar banana “Rejang”, with particular attention on pairing configurations and chromosome transmission that may be indicative for translocations and inversions. Pollen slides demonstrate regular-shaped spores except “Rejang”, which shows fertile pollen grains of different size and sterile pollen grains, suggesting partial sterility and unreduced gamete formation that likely resulted from restitutional meiotic divisions.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. e39009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirotaka Ata ◽  
Deepa Shrestha ◽  
Masahiko Oka ◽  
Rikuo Ochi ◽  
Chian Ju Jong ◽  
...  

1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Fien ◽  
B Stillman

A number of proteins have been isolated from human cells on the basis of their ability to support DNA replication in vitro of the simian virus 40 (SV40) origin of DNA replication. One such protein, replication factor C (RFC), functions with the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), replication protein A (RPA), and DNA polymerase delta to synthesize the leading strand at a replication fork. To determine whether these proteins perform similar roles during replication of DNA from origins in cellular chromosomes, we have begun to characterize functionally homologous proteins from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. RFC from S. cerevisiae was purified by its ability to stimulate yeast DNA polymerase delta on a primed single-stranded DNA template in the presence of yeast PCNA and RPA. Like its human-cell counterpart, RFC from S. cerevisiae (scRFC) has an associated DNA-activated ATPase activity as well as a primer-template, structure-specific DNA binding activity. By analogy with the phage T4 and SV40 DNA replication in vitro systems, the yeast RFC, PCNA, RPA, and DNA polymerase delta activities function together as a leading-strand DNA replication complex. Now that RFC from S. cerevisiae has been purified, all seven cellular factors previously shown to be required for SV40 DNA replication in vitro have been identified in S. cerevisiae.


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