Project description:In this study, we present the first genome-wide recombination map for mitochondrial DNA in yeast. We also assess the impact of the genetic background and of several gene deletions on the recombination profiles.
Project description:In yeast, DNA breaks are usually repaired by homologous recombination (HR). An early step for HR pathways is formation of a heteroduplex, in which a single-strand from the broken DNA molecule pairs with a strand derived from an intact DNA molecule. If the two strands of DNA are not identical, there will be mismatches within the heteroduplex DNA (hetDNA). In wild-type strains, these mismatches are repaired by the mismatch repair (MMR) system, producing a gene conversion event. In strains lacking MMR, the mismatches persist. Most previous studies involving hetDNA formed during mitotic recombination were restricted to one locus. Below, we present a global mapping of hetDNA formed in the MMR-defective mlh1 strain. We find that many recombination events are associated with repair of double-stranded DNA gaps and/or involve Mlh1-independent mismatch repair. Many of our events are not explicable by the simplest form of the double-strand break repair model of recombination.
Project description:Misincorporation of ribonucleotides into DNA during genome replication has recently become recognized as a significant source of genomic instability. The frequency of ribonucleotides in the genome is determined by dNTP/rNTP ratios, the ability of the DNA polymerases to discriminate against ribonucleotides, and by the capacity of repair mechanisms to remove misincorporated ribonucleotides. To simultaneously compare how the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes incorporate and remove ribonucleotides, we challenged these processes by imbalancing cellular dNTP pools. Using a collection of yeast strains with altered dNTP pools, we discovered an inverse relationship between the concentration of individual dNTPs and the amount of the corresponding ribonucleotides incorporated in mitochondrial DNA, while in nuclear DNA the ribonucleotide pattern was only altered in the absence of ribonucleotide excision repair. Our analysis uncovers major differences in ribonucleotide repair between the two genomes and provides concrete evidence that yeast mitochondria lack mechanisms for repair of misincorporated ribonucleotides.
Project description:Histone modifications are associated with meiotic recombination hotspots, discrete sites with augmented recombination frequency. For example, trimethylation of histone H3 lysine4 (H3K4me3) marks most hotspots in budding yeast and mouse. Modified histones are known to regulate meiotic recombination partly by promoting DNA double strand break (DSB) formation, but the role and precise landscape of histone modifications at hotspots remain unclear. Here, we studied hotspot-associated modifications in fission yeast and found general features: acetylation of H3 lysine9 (H3K9ac) is strikingly elevated, and H3K4me3 is not significantly enriched. Remarkably, elimination of H3K9ac reduced binding of the DSB-inducing enzyme Rec12 and DSB at hotspots. We also found that the H3K4 metyltransferase Set1 promotes DSB formation at some loci, but it restricts Rec12 binding to hotspots. These results suggest that H3K9ac rather than H3K4me3 is a hotspot-associated mark involved in meiotic DSB formation in fission yeast.
Project description:The Saccharomyces cerevisae RAD3 gene is homolog of human XPD, an essential gene encoding a DNA helicase of the TFIIH complex involved in both nucleotide excision repair (NER) and transcription. Mutant alleles of RAD3 have been identified (rad3-101 and rad3-102) that have partial defects in DNA repair associated with a strong hyper-recombination (hyper-Rec) phenotype. Previous studies showed that the hyper-Rec phenotype associated with rad3-101 and rad3-102 can be explained as a consequence of persistent single-stranded DNA gaps that are converted to recombinogenic double-strand breaks (DSBs) by replication. We have further characterized these events using a system in which the reciprocal products of mitotic recombination between homologs are recovered as red and white sectored colonies. Both rad3-101 and rad3-102 elevate the frequency of sectored colonies about 100-fold. Subsequent mapping of these events shows that three-quarters of crossovers between homologs induced in hyper-Rec rad3 mutants reflect DSBs formed in at the same positions in both sister chromatids (double sister-chromatid breaks, DSCBs). The remainder reflects DSBs formed in single chromatids (single chromatid breaks, SCBs). The ratio of DSCBs to SCBs is similar to that observed for spontaneous recombination events in wild-type cells. In addition to examining crossovers on chromosome V, we mapped 216 unselected genomic alterations throughout the genome including crossovers, gene conversions, deletions, and duplications. We found a significant association between the location of these recombination events and regions with elevated gamma-H2AX. In addition, there was a hotspot for deletions and duplications at the IMA2 and HXT11 genes near the left end of chromosome XV. A comparison of these data with our previous analysis of spontaneous mitotic recombination events suggests that a sub-set of spontaneous events in wild-type cells may be initiated by incomplete NER reactions, and that DSCBs, which cannot be repaired by sister-chromatid recombination, are a major source of mitotic recombination between homologous chromosomes.
Project description:Crosslinking-MS analysis of sulfo-SDA crosslinked fission yeast condensin-DNA samples in the initial binding state (absence of nucleotide) and in the DNA gripping state (in the presence of ADP•BeF3)
Project description:Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in budding yeast is biparentally inherited, but colonies rapidly lose one type of parental mtDNA, becoming homoplasmic. Therefore, hybrids between different yeast species possess two homologous nuclear genomes, but only one type of mitochondrial DNA. We hypothesise that the choice of mtDNA retention is influenced by its contribution to hybrid fitness in different environments, and that the allelic expression of the two nuclear sub-genomes is affected by the presence of different mtDNAs in hybrids. Here, we crossed Saccharomyces cerevisiae with S. uvarum under different environmental conditions and examined the plasticity of the retention of mtDNA in each hybrid.
Project description:Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in budding yeast is biparentally inherited, but colonies rapidly lose one type of parental mtDNA, becoming homoplasmic. Therefore, hybrids between different yeast species possess two homologous nuclear genomes, but only one type of mitochondrial DNA. We hypothesise that the choice of mtDNA retention is influenced by its contribution to hybrid fitness in different environments, and that the allelic expression of the two nuclear sub-genomes is affected by the presence of different mtDNAs in hybrids. Here, we crossed Saccharomyces cerevisiae with S. uvarum under different environmental conditions and examined the plasticity of the retention of mtDNA in each hybrid.