-
Annual Review of Genetics Nov 2023The raison d'être of meiosis is shuffling of genetic information via Mendelian segregation and, within individual chromosomes, by DNA crossing-over. These outcomes are... (Review)
Review
The raison d'être of meiosis is shuffling of genetic information via Mendelian segregation and, within individual chromosomes, by DNA crossing-over. These outcomes are enabled by a complex cellular program in which interactions between homologous chromosomes play a central role. We first provide a background regarding the basic principles of this program. We then summarize the current understanding of the DNA events of recombination and of three processes that involve whole chromosomes: homolog pairing, crossover interference, and chiasma maturation. All of these processes are implemented by direct physical interaction of recombination complexes with underlying chromosome structures. Finally, we present convergent lines of evidence that the meiotic program may have evolved by coupling of this interaction to late-stage mitotic chromosome morphogenesis.
Topics: Chromosome Pairing; Meiosis; Chromosomes; DNA; Chromosome Segregation; Crossing Over, Genetic
PubMed: 37788458
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-genet-061323-044915 -
Genes & Development Jan 2022During meiosis, a molecular program induces DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and their repair by homologous recombination. DSBs can be repaired with or without... (Review)
Review
During meiosis, a molecular program induces DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and their repair by homologous recombination. DSBs can be repaired with or without crossovers. ZMM proteins promote the repair toward crossover. The sites of DSB repair are also sites where the axes of homologous chromosomes are juxtaposed and stabilized, and where a structure called the synaptonemal complex initiates, providing further regulation of both DSB formation and repair. How crossover formation and synapsis initiation are linked has remained unknown. The study by Pyatnitskaya and colleagues (pp. 53-69) in this issue of highlights the central role of the ZMM protein Zip4 in this process.
Topics: Chromosome Pairing; Crossing Over, Genetic; DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; DNA Repair; Meiosis; Synaptonemal Complex
PubMed: 35022326
DOI: 10.1101/gad.349286.121 -
Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in... May 2015Recombination is a prominent feature of meiosis in which it plays an important role in increasing genetic diversity during inheritance. Additionally, in most organisms,... (Review)
Review
Recombination is a prominent feature of meiosis in which it plays an important role in increasing genetic diversity during inheritance. Additionally, in most organisms, recombination also plays mechanical roles in chromosomal processes, most notably to mediate pairing of homologous chromosomes during prophase and, ultimately, to ensure regular segregation of homologous chromosomes when they separate at the first meiotic division. Recombinational interactions are also subject to important spatial patterning at both early and late stages. Recombination-mediated processes occur in physical and functional linkage with meiotic axial chromosome structure, with interplay in both directions, before, during, and after formation and dissolution of the synaptonemal complex (SC), a highly conserved meiosis-specific structure that links homolog axes along their lengths. These diverse processes also are integrated with recombination-independent interactions between homologous chromosomes, nonhomology-based chromosome couplings/clusterings, and diverse types of chromosome movement. This review provides an overview of these diverse processes and their interrelationships.
Topics: Animals; Chromosome Pairing; Chromosomes; DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; Humans; Meiosis; Recombination, Genetic; Synaptonemal Complex
PubMed: 25986558
DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a016626 -
Nucleic Acids Research Oct 2022Post-transcriptional RNA modifications critically regulate various biological processes. N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) is an epi-transcriptome, which is highly conserved in...
Post-transcriptional RNA modifications critically regulate various biological processes. N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) is an epi-transcriptome, which is highly conserved in all species. However, the in vivo physiological functions and regulatory mechanisms of ac4C remain poorly understood, particularly in mammals. In this study, we demonstrate that the only known ac4C writer, N-acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10), plays an essential role in male reproduction. We identified the occurrence of ac4C in the mRNAs of mouse tissues and showed that ac4C undergoes dynamic changes during spermatogenesis. Germ cell-specific ablation of Nat10 severely inhibits meiotic entry and leads to defects in homologous chromosome synapsis, meiotic recombination and repair of DNA double-strand breaks during meiosis. Transcriptomic profiling revealed dysregulation of functional genes in meiotic prophase I after Nat10 deletion. These findings highlight the crucial physiological functions of ac4C modifications in male spermatogenesis and expand our understanding of its role in the regulation of specific physiological processes in vivo.
Topics: Male; Mice; Animals; Meiosis; Cytidine; Chromosome Pairing; Germ Cells; Mammals
PubMed: 35801907
DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac594 -
Cell Reports Mar 2022The DSB machinery, which induces the programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in the leptotene and zygotene stages during meiosis, is suppressed before the onset of...
The DSB machinery, which induces the programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in the leptotene and zygotene stages during meiosis, is suppressed before the onset of the pachytene stage. However, the biological significance and underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. Here, we report that ZFP541 is indispensable for the suppression of DSB formation after mid-pachytene. The deletion of Zfp541 in mice causes the aberrant recruitment of DSB machinery to chromosome axes and generation of massive DSBs in late pachytene and diplotene spermatocytes, leading to meiotic arrest at the diplotene stage. Integrated analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) sequencing data indicate that ZFP541 predominantly binds to promoters of pre-pachytene genes, including meiotic DSB formation-related genes (e.g., Prdm9 and Mei1) and their upstream activators (e.g., Meiosin and Rxra), and maintains their repression in pachytene spermatocytes. Our results reveal that ZFP541 functions as a transcriptional regulator in pachytene spermatocytes, orchestrating the transcriptome to ensure meiosis progression.
Topics: Animals; Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase; Male; Meiosis; Meiotic Prophase I; Mice; Pachytene Stage; Spermatocytes; Transcription Factors
PubMed: 35320728
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110540 -
Nature Communications Mar 2023N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and its reader proteins YTHDC1, YTHDC2, and YTHDF2 have been shown to exert essential functions during spermatogenesis. However, much remains...
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and its reader proteins YTHDC1, YTHDC2, and YTHDF2 have been shown to exert essential functions during spermatogenesis. However, much remains unknown about m6A regulation mechanisms and the functions of specific readers during the meiotic cell cycle. Here, we show that the m6A reader Proline rich coiled-coil 2A (PRRC2A) is essential for male fertility. Germ cell-specific knockout of Prrc2a causes XY asynapsis and impaired meiotic sex chromosome inactivation in late-prophase spermatocytes. Moreover, PRRC2A-null spermatocytes exhibit delayed metaphase entry, chromosome misalignment, and spindle disorganization at metaphase I and are finally arrested at this stage. Sequencing data reveal that PRRC2A decreases the RNA abundance or improves the translation efficiency of targeting transcripts. Specifically, PRRC2A recognizes spermatogonia-specific transcripts and downregulates their RNA abundance to maintain the spermatocyte expression pattern during the meiosis prophase. For genes involved in meiotic cell division, PRRC2A improves the translation efficiency of their transcripts. Further, co-immunoprecipitation data show that PRRC2A interacts with several proteins regulating mRNA metabolism or translation (YBX1, YBX2, PABPC1, FXR1, and EIF4G3). Our study reveals post-transcriptional functions of PRRC2A and demonstrates its critical role in the completion of meiosis I in spermatogenesis.
Topics: Male; Humans; Spermatogenesis; Meiosis; Prophase; Spermatocytes; Sex Chromosomes; RNA
PubMed: 36964127
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37252-y -
Current Biology : CB Mar 2021Cathleen Lake and Scott Hawley discuss the components, assembly and functional importance of the synaptonemal complex.
Cathleen Lake and Scott Hawley discuss the components, assembly and functional importance of the synaptonemal complex.
Topics: Animals; Chromosome Pairing; Chromosome Segregation; Crossing Over, Genetic; Humans; Meiosis; Schizosaccharomyces; Synaptonemal Complex
PubMed: 33689714
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.01.015 -
Nucleus (Austin, Tex.) Dec 2024Heterochromatin is an organizational property of eukaryotic chromosomes, characterized by extensive DNA and histone modifications, that is associated with the silencing... (Review)
Review
Heterochromatin is an organizational property of eukaryotic chromosomes, characterized by extensive DNA and histone modifications, that is associated with the silencing of transposable elements and repetitive sequences. Maintaining heterochromatin is crucial for ensuring genomic integrity and stability during the cell cycle. During meiosis, heterochromatin is important for homologous chromosome synapsis, recombination, and segregation, but our understanding of meiotic heterochromatin formation and condensation is limited. In this review, we focus on the dynamics and features of heterochromatin and how it condenses during meiosis in plants. We also discuss how meiotic heterochromatin influences the interaction and recombination of homologous chromosomes during prophase I.
Topics: Heterochromatin; Centromere; Meiosis; Chromosome Pairing
PubMed: 38488152
DOI: 10.1080/19491034.2024.2328719 -
Current Biology : CB Jun 2020In this Quick Guide, Srinivasa and Zanders provide an overview of meiotic drivers and the diverse mechanisms these genetic elements use to bias their transmission to the...
In this Quick Guide, Srinivasa and Zanders provide an overview of meiotic drivers and the diverse mechanisms these genetic elements use to bias their transmission to the next generation.
Topics: Animals; Female; Male; Meiosis; Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; Selection, Genetic
PubMed: 32516606
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.04.023 -
Nature Communications Nov 2022Meiosis requires the formation of programmed DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), essential for fertility and for generating genetic diversity. DSBs are induced by the...
Meiosis requires the formation of programmed DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), essential for fertility and for generating genetic diversity. DSBs are induced by the catalytic activity of the TOPOVIL complex formed by SPO11 and TOPOVIBL. To ensure genomic integrity, DNA cleavage activity is tightly regulated, and several accessory factors (REC114, MEI4, IHO1, and MEI1) are needed for DSB formation in mice. How and when these proteins act is not understood. Here, we show that REC114 is a direct partner of TOPOVIBL, and identify their conserved interacting domains by structural analysis. We then analyse the role of this interaction by monitoring meiotic DSBs in female and male mice carrying point mutations in TOPOVIBL that decrease or disrupt its binding to REC114. In these mutants, DSB activity is strongly reduced genome-wide in oocytes, and only in sub-telomeric regions in spermatocytes. In addition, in mutant spermatocytes, DSB activity is delayed in autosomes. These results suggest that REC114 is a key member of the TOPOVIL catalytic complex, and that the REC114/TOPOVIBL interaction ensures the efficiency and timing of DSB activity.
Topics: Male; Female; Mice; Animals; DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; Meiosis; Chromosomes; Spermatocytes; DNA
PubMed: 36396648
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34799-0