Cyclin Cyc2 is required for elongation of meiotic micronucleus in Tetrahymena thermophila
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ABSTRACT: Meiosis occurs in all sexually reproducing unicellular and multicellular eukaryotes. Bouquet formation is indispensible for homologous pairing or recombination during meiotic prophase I, but the regulatory mechanism of this process remain largely unknown. Cyclins regulate the precise meiosis progression by activating cyclin-dependent kinases. We therefore investigated the functional contribution of cyclin Cyc2p during bouquet (named crescent in Tetrahymena) formation in Tetrahymena thermophila. As a conjugation specific gene, CYC2 expression is significantly upregulated at 2-4 h after the initiation of conjugation and Cyc2p mainly localized in cytoplasm as well as weakly in the meiotic micronucleus (Mic). CYC2 knockout mutants failed to form elongated crescent structure and aborted meiotic development. Mic DNA double-strand breakage (DSB) decreased in ΔCYC2 cells as shown by γ-H2A.X staining, consistent with the finding that expression level of SPO11, DMC1, and RAD51 decreased in ΔCYC2 cells. However, ΔCYC2 cells failed to form crescent structure when artificial DSBs were induced, indicating that the inability to enter crescent phase was not completely due to the lack of DSBs. The localization of tubulin showed that impaired structure of nuclei and nuclear membrane may contribute to the blocked Mic elongation. This is further supported by the observation that expression levels of two microtubule associated kinesin genes, KIN11 and KIN141, were significantly downregulated in ΔCYC2 cells. Interestingly, scnRNA accumulation seemed intact in ΔCYC2 cells whereas the intensity of the heterochromatin marker H3K23me3 was abnormally increased. Together, these results showed that cyclin Cyc2p is required for micronuclear meiosis by controlling meiotic prophase chromosome breakage and the microtubule movement of nuclei in Tetrahymena.
Project description:Somatic macronucleus (MAC) and germline micronucleus (MIC) of Tetrahymena thermophila are different in chromosome numbers, sizes, functions and cohesin complex locations. Loss of cohesin complex resulted in genome-wide disappearance of topologically associating domains (TADs) and chromatin loops in mammalian cells. However, the higher-level chromatin organization in Tetrahymena thermophila which contains both cohesin free MAC and cohesin located MIC are largely unknown. Here, using the Hi-C and HiChIP methods, we reveal that, these two nuclei possess distinct three-dimensional genome structures. In the MAC, each chromosome occupies its own territory and there are no chromatin compartmentalization or chromatin domains. The chromatin loops in MAC are mainly related to chromatin structures rather than transcriptional regulation. The MIC also without chromatin compartmentalization, but with chromatin domains and the domain boundaries are consistent with chromatin breakage sites (CBSs) which indicates that each MIC chromatin domain developed to one MAC chromosome during conjugation. Besides, we found the MIC exhibits unique intra-arm and inter-chromosome interactions at the crescent stage of conjugation, when the MIC undergoes meiotic recombination.
Project description:In most eukaryotes, the meiotic chromosomal bouquet (comprising clustered chromosome ends) provides an ordered chromosome arrangement that facilitates pairing and recombination between homologous chromosomes. In the protist Tetrahymena thermophila, the meiotic prophase nucleus stretches enormously and chromosomes assume a bouquet-like arrangement in which telomeres and centromeres are attached to opposite poles of the nucleus. We have identified and characterized three meiosis-specific genes (MELG1-3) that control nuclear elongation and centromere and telomere clustering. Hence, to find out potential interactions, we did LC-MS/MS analysis for Melg1, Melg2, Melg3, and Tass1 (a partner of Melg3) immunoprecipitation samples.
Project description:Meiotic recombination is carried out through a specialized pathway for the formation and repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) made by the Spo11 protein. The present study shed light on the functional role of Cyclin, CYC2, in Tetrahymena thermophila which has transcriptionally high expression level during meiosis process. Knocking out the CYC2 gene results in arrest of meiotic conjugation process at 2.5â??3.5 h after conjugation initiation, before the meiosis division starts, and in company with the absence of DSBs. To investigate the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon, a complete transcriptome profile was performed between wild-type strain and CYC2 knock-out strain. Functional analysis of RNA-Seq results identifies related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) including SPO11 and these DEGs are enriched in DNA repair/mismatch repair (MMR) terms in homologous recombination (HR), which indicates that CYC2 could play a crucial role in meiosis by regulating SPO11 and participating in HR. We performed mRNA profiling on both wild-type strains and CYC2-knocking out strains at four different stages during meiosis prohase of Tetrahymena thermophila.
Project description:The somatic macronucleus (MAC) and germline micronucleus (MIC) of Tetrahymena thermophila differ in chromosome numbers, sizes, functions, transcriptional activities, and cohesin complex location. However, the higher-order chromatin organization in T. thermophila which contains both cohesin free MAC and cohesin located MIC are largely unknown. Here, we examined the higher-order chromatin organization in the two distinct nuclei of T. thermophila using the Hi-C and HiChIP. Interestingly, we found that the crescent MIC possess specific chromosome interaction pattern. All the telomeres or centromeres on the five MIC chromosomes clustering together, respectively, which could help to identify the midpoints of centromeres in the MIC. We found the transcriptionally active MAC chromosomes lack A/B compartments, topologically associating domains (TADs) and chromatin loops. The transcriptionally inert MIC chromosomes also without A/B compartments and chromatin loops, but have TAD-like structures. The boundaries of the TAD-like structures in the MIC were highly consistent with the chromatin breakage sequence (CBS) sites, suggesting that each TAD-like structure of the MIC chromosomes develops into one MAC chromosome during MAC development during conjugation. Overall, we revealed the higher-order chromatin organization in the T. thermophila and found the chromatin structures might play important roles during the development of the MAC chromosomes.
Project description:Meiotic recombination is carried out through a specialized pathway for the formation and repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) made by the Spo11 protein. The present study shed light on the functional role of Cyclin, CYC2, in Tetrahymena thermophila which has transcriptionally high expression level during meiosis process. Knocking out the CYC2 gene results in arrest of meiotic conjugation process at 2.5–3.5 h after conjugation initiation, before the meiosis division starts, and in company with the absence of DSBs. To investigate the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon, a complete transcriptome profile was performed between wild-type strain and CYC2 knock-out strain. Functional analysis of RNA-Seq results identifies related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) including SPO11 and these DEGs are enriched in DNA repair/mismatch repair (MMR) terms in homologous recombination (HR), which indicates that CYC2 could play a crucial role in meiosis by regulating SPO11 and participating in HR.
Project description:Chromosomes pair and synapse with their homologous partners to segregate correctly at meiosis I. Association of telomeres with the LINC (Linker of Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton) complex enables telomere-led chromosome movements and telomere bouquet formation, facilitating precise pairwise alignment of homologs. Here, we identify a direct interaction between SUN1 and Speedy A (SPDYA) and determine the crystal structure of human SUN1-SPDYA-CDK2 ternary complex. Analysis of meiosis prophase I process in SPDYA-binding-deficient SUN1 mutant mice reveals that the SUN1-SPDYA interaction is required for the telomere-LINC complex connection and the assembly of a ring-shaped telomere supramolecular architecture at the nuclear envelope, which is critical for efficient homologous pairing and synapsis. Overall, our results provide structural insights into meiotic telomere structure that is essential for meiotic prophase progression.
Project description:Accurate gametogenesis requires the establishment of the telomere bouquet, an evolutionarily conserved, 3D chromosomal arrangement. In this spatial configuration, telomeres temporarily aggregate at the nuclear envelope during meiotic prophase, which facilitates chromosome pairing and recombination. The mechanisms governing the assembly of the telomere bouquet remain largely unexplored, primarily due to the challenges in visualizing and manipulating the bouquet. Here, using Schizosaccharomyces pombe as a model system to elucidate telomere bouquet function, we reveal that centromeres, traditionally perceived as playing a passive role in the chromosomal reorganization necessary for bouquet assembly, likely serve as the key initiators of telomere bouquet formation. We demonstrate that centromeres have the remarkable capability to induce telomere mobilization, which is even sufficient to trigger bouquet formation and the meiotic transcription program in mitotic cells. This discovery highlights the finely tuned control exerted over long-distance heterochromatic regions and underscores a pivotal step in the mechanism of eukaryotic telomere bouquet formation.
Project description:In the germline stem cell lineage, proliferating gonial cells switch from mitotic proliferation to meiotic prophase, marked by the onset of a cell-type-specific transcription program and a specialized cell cycle required to generate haploid gametes. The Drosophila gene benign gonial cell neoplasm (bgcn) encodes an RNA binding translational repressor required in fly testes for spermatogonia to stop dividing and transition to the spermatocyte state and meiosis. Here we show that the mammalian bgcn ortholog, YTHDC2, plays a key role in allowing a clean transition from mitosis to meiosis in both male and female germ cells in mouse, pointing towards a conserved role of post-transcriptional control of RNA translation and/or stability in this critical cell fate transition. Ythdc2-/- male germ cells undergo mitotic divisions but fail to properly execute meiotic prophase, instead attempting a mitotic-like division then undergoing cell death. Many meiotic markers were only weakly expressed in Ythdc2-/- testes compared to wild-type controls. Strikingly, the mitotic cyclin Cyclin A2, which is down-regulated prior to entry into meiotic prophase in wild-type, remained high in Ythdc2-/- germ cells that also expressed the meiotic marker SYCP3, suggesting that the mutant germ cells attempting to enter meiotic prophase have a mixed identity. YTHDC2 binds RNAs involved in both the mitotic cell cycle, including the mRNA Ccna2 that encodes Cyclin A2, as well as specific piRNA precursor RNAs and transcripts required for later stages of germ cell differentiation. YTHDC2-bound RNAs in testes were enriched for the m6A modification, suggesting that YTHDC2 may selectively regulate multiple target RNAs marked with m6A, to promote a clean transition from mitosis to meiosis and terminal differentiation.
Project description:In the germline stem cell lineage, proliferating gonial cells switch from mitotic proliferation to meiotic prophase, marked by the onset of a cell-type-specific transcription program and a specialized cell cycle required to generate haploid gametes. The Drosophila gene benign gonial cell neoplasm (bgcn) encodes an RNA binding translational repressor required in fly testes for spermatogonia to stop dividing and transition to the spermatocyte state and meiosis. Here we show that the mammalian bgcn ortholog, YTHDC2, plays a key role in allowing a clean transition from mitosis to meiosis in both male and female germ cells in mouse, pointing towards a conserved role of post-transcriptional control of RNA translation and/or stability in this critical cell fate transition. Ythdc2-/- male germ cells undergo mitotic divisions but fail to properly execute meiotic prophase, instead attempting a mitotic-like division then undergoing cell death. Many meiotic markers were only weakly expressed in Ythdc2-/- testes compared to wild-type controls. Strikingly, the mitotic cyclin Cyclin A2, which is down-regulated prior to entry into meiotic prophase in wild-type, remained high in Ythdc2-/- germ cells that also expressed the meiotic marker SYCP3, suggesting that the mutant germ cells attempting to enter meiotic prophase have a mixed identity. YTHDC2 binds RNAs involved in both the mitotic cell cycle, including the mRNA Ccna2 that encodes Cyclin A2, as well as specific piRNA precursor RNAs and transcripts required for later stages of germ cell differentiation. YTHDC2-bound RNAs in testes were enriched for the m6A modification, suggesting that YTHDC2 may selectively regulate multiple target RNAs marked with m6A, to promote a clean transition from mitosis to meiosis and terminal differentiation.
Project description:Dynamic nuclear architecture and chromatin organizations are the key features of the mid- prophase I in mammalian meiosis. Where the chromatin undergoes major changes, including meiosis-specific spatiotemporal arrangements and remodelling, the establishment of chromatin loop–axis structure, pairing, and crossing over between homologous chromosomes, any deficiencies in these events may induce genome instability, subsequently leading to failure to produce gametes and infertility. Despite the significance of chromatin structure, little is known about the location of chromatin marks and the necessity of their balance during meiosis prophase I. Here, we show a thorough cytological study of the surface-spread meiotic chromosomes of mouse spermatocytes for H3K9,14,18,23,27,36, H4K12,16 acetylation, and H3K4,9,27,36 methylation. Active acetylation and methylation marks on H3 and H4, such as H3K9ac, H3K14ac, H3K18ac, H3K36ac, H3K56ac, H4K12ac, H4K16ac, and H3K27me3 and H3K36me3 exhibited pan-nuclear localization away from heterochromatin. In comparison, repressive marks like H3K9me3 are localized to heterochromatin. In addition, we found that the intensities of H3K23ac, H3K27ac, and H3K9me3 enhanced during meiotic prophase I. Further, taking advantage of the delivery of small-molecule chemical inhibitors Methotrexate (MTX; heterochromatin enhancer), HMS-I1 (heterochromatin inhibitor), Anacardic acid (AA; histone acetyltransferase inhibitor), Trichostatin A (TSA; histone deacetylase inhibitor), IOX1 (JmjC demethylases inhibitor), and AZ505 (methyl transferase inhibitor) in seminiferous tubules through the rete testis route, revealed that alteration in histone modifications enhanced the centromere mislocalization, chromosome breakage, altered meiotic recombination and reduced sperm count. Notably, an imbalance in the histone modifications influences the chromosome axis length and chromatin loop size via transcriptional regulation of meiosis- specific genes. Our findings highlight the importance of balanced chromatin modifications in meiotic prophase I chromosome organization and instability.