Bisection of the X Chromosome Disrupts the Initiation of Chromosome Silencing during Meiosis in Caenorhabditis elegans
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ABSTRACT: During meiosis, gene expression is silenced in aberrantly unsynapsed chromatin and in heterogametic sex chromosomes. Initiation of sex chromosome silencing is disrupted in meiocytes with sex chromosome-autosome translocations. To determine whether this is due to aberrant synapsis or loss of continuity of sex chromosomes, we engineered Caenorhabditis elegans with non-translocated, bisected X chromosomes. In early meiocytes of mutant males and hermaphrodites, X segments were enriched with euchromatin assembly markers and active RNA polymerase II staining, indicating active transcription. Analysis of RNA-seq data showed that genes from the X chromosome were upregulated in gonads of mutant worms. Contrary to previous models, which predicted that any unsynapsed chromatin is silenced during meiosis, our data indicate that unsynapsed X segments are transcribed. Therefore, our results suggest that sex chromosome chromatin has a unique character that facilitates its meiotic expression when its continuity is lost, regardless of whether or not it is synapsed.
ORGANISM(S): Caenorhabditis elegans
PROVIDER: GSE171938 | GEO | 2021/05/24
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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