Project description:Gene dosage imbalance of heteromorphic sex chromosomes (XY or ZW) exists between the sexes, and with the autosomes. Mammalian X chromosome inactivation was long thought to imply a critical need for dosage compensation in vertebrates. However, mRNA abundance measurements that demonstrated sex chromosome transcripts are neither balanced between the sexes or with autosomes in monotreme mammals or birds brought sex chromosome dosage compensation into question. This study examines transcriptomic and proteomic levels of dosage compensation in platypus and chicken compared to mouse, a model eutherian species. We analyzed mRNA and protein levels in heart and liver tissues of chicken, mouse and platypus.
Project description:In this work, we evaluated the genetic stabilization process, of the intra- (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and interspecific (S. cerevisiae x Saccharomyces kudriavzevii) hybrids obtained by different non-GMO techniques, under fermentative conditions. Large-scale transitions in genome size, detected by measuring total DNA content, and genome reorganizations in both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA, evidenced by changes in molecular markers, were observed during the experiments. Interspecific hybrids seem to need fewer generations to reach genetic stability than intraspecific hybrids. The largest number of molecular patterns among the derived stable colonies was observed for intraspecific hybrids, particularly for those obtained by rare-mating in which the total amount of initial DNA was larger. Finally, a representative intraspecific stable hybrid underwent a normal industrial process to obtain active dry yeast production as an important point at which inducing changes in genome composition was possible. No changes in hybrid genetic composition after this procedure were confirmed by comparative genome hybridization. According to our results, fermentation steps 2 and 5 –comprising between 30 and 50 generations- suffice to obtain genetically stable interspecific and intraspecific hybrids, respectively. This work aimed to develop and validate a fast genetic stabilization method for newly generated Saccharomyces hybrids under selective enological conditions. A comparison of the whole stabilization process in intra- and interspecific hybrids showing different ploidy levels, as a result of using different hybridization methodologies, was also made.
Project description:we identify Scml2, a subunit of a germ cell-specific polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1), as a critical epigenetic modifier that establishes the germline-specific epigenome through two distinct functions. One of these functions is in the stem cell phase of spermatogonia and the other is on meiotic sex chromosomes. During the stem cell phase of spermatogonia, Scml2 establishes Rnf2- dependent ubiquitination of H2A (Rnf2-ubH2A) as an epigenetic memory that subsequently ensures programmed repression of somatic genes during the late stages of spermatogenesis. Additionally, during meiosis, Scml2 interacts with M-NM-3H2AX and works downstream of the DNA damage response factor Mdc1 on the sex chromosomes and, contrary to autosomes, suppresses Rnf2-ubH2A for proper epigenetic programming of the sex chromosomes. Taken together, Scml2 positively regulates Rnf2-ubH2A on autosomes and negatively regulates Rnf2-ubH2A on the sex chromosomes to establish the germline-specific epigenome in spermatogenesis. Our study reveals a novel layer of epigenetic regulation in the male germline and adds further insight into the functionality of the polycomb proteins. RNA-seq and ChIP-seq analyses using wild-type and Scml2 KO spermatogenic cells
Project description:In this work, we evaluated the genetic stabilization process, of the intra- (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and interspecific (S. cerevisiae x Saccharomyces kudriavzevii) hybrids obtained by different non-GMO techniques, under fermentative conditions. Large-scale transitions in genome size, detected by measuring total DNA content, and genome reorganizations in both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA, evidenced by changes in molecular markers, were observed during the experiments. Interspecific hybrids seem to need fewer generations to reach genetic stability than intraspecific hybrids. The largest number of molecular patterns among the derived stable colonies was observed for intraspecific hybrids, particularly for those obtained by rare-mating in which the total amount of initial DNA was larger. Finally, a representative intraspecific stable hybrid underwent a normal industrial process to obtain active dry yeast production as an important point at which inducing changes in genome composition was possible. No changes in hybrid genetic composition after this procedure were confirmed by comparative genome hybridization. According to our results, fermentation steps 2 and 5 –comprising between 30 and 50 generations- suffice to obtain genetically stable interspecific and intraspecific hybrids, respectively. This work aimed to develop and validate a fast genetic stabilization method for newly generated Saccharomyces hybrids under selective enological conditions. A comparison of the whole stabilization process in intra- and interspecific hybrids showing different ploidy levels, as a result of using different hybridization methodologies, was also made. A stable hybrid strain was compared with itself before and after ADY (active dry yeast) production in order to evaluate the genetic stability of this strain.
Project description:Using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS), we have compared the methylomes of neuronal and non-neuronal cells from three female human and three chimpanzee cortices (Brodmann area 10). Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) with genome-wide significance were enriched in specific chromosomal regions. Intraspecific methylation differences between neuronal and non-neuronal cells were approximately three times more abundant than interspecific methylation differences between human and chimpanzee cell types. The vast majority (>90%) of human intraspecific DMRs (including DMRs with retrotransposons) were hypomethylated in neurons, compared to glia. Intraspecific DMRs were enriched in genes that have been associated with different neuropsychiatric disorders. Interspecific DMRs were enriched in genes showing human-specific brain histone modifications. Methylation differences between human and chimpanzee non-neuronal cells (N=666) were much more frequent than neuronal interspecific DMRs (N=96). More than 95% of interspecific non-neuronal DMRs were hypermethylated in humans.
Project description:Here, we set out to understand the extent and nature of epigenomic changes associated with sexual differentiation in the brown alga Ectocarpus, which has a well described UV system. Five histone modifications, H3K4me3, H3K27Ac, H3K9Ac, H3K36me3, H4K20me3, were quantified in near-isogenic male and female lines, leading to the identification of 13 different chromatin states across the Ectocarpus genome that showed different patterns of enrichment at transcribed, silent, housekeeping or narrowly-expressed genes. Chromatin states were strongly correlated with levels of gene expression indicating a relationship between the assayed marks and gene transcription. The relative proportion of each chromatin state across the genome remained stable in males and females, but a subset of genes exhibited different chromatin states in the two sexes. In particular, males and females displayed distinct patterns of histone modifications at sex-biased genes, indicating that chromatin state transitions occur preferentially at genes involved in sex-specific pathways. Finally, our results reveal the unique chromatin landscape of the U and V sex chromosomes compared to autosomes. Taken together, our observations reveal a role for histone modifications in sex determination and sexual differentiation in a UV sexual system, and suggest that the mechanisms of epigenetic regulation of genes on the U/V sex chromosomes may differ from those operating on autosomal genes.
Project description:A number of genes associated with sexual traits and reproduction evolve at the sequence level faster than the majority of genes coding for non-sex-related traits. Whole genome analyses allow this observation to be extended beyond the limited set of genes that have been studied thus far. We use cDNA microarrays to demonstrate that this pattern holds in Drosophila for the phenotype of gene expression as well, but in one sex only. Genes that are male-biased in their expression show more variation in relative expression levels between conspecific populations and two closely related species than do female-biased genes or genes with sexually monomorphic expression patterns. Additionally, elevated ratios of interspecific expression divergence to intraspecific expression variation among male-biased genes suggest that differences in rates of evolution may be due in part to natural selection. This finding has implications for our understanding of the importance of sexual dimorphism for speciation and rates of phenotypic evolution. Keywords: other
Project description:We present evidence implicating the BAF (BRG1/BRM Associated Factor) chromatin remodeler in meiotic sex chromosome inactivation (MSCI). By immunofluorescence (IF), the putative BAF DNA binding subunit, ARID1A (AT-rich Interaction Domain 1a), appeared enriched on the male sex chromosomes during diplonema of meiosis I. The germ cell-specific depletion of ARID1A resulted in a pachynema arrest and failure to repress sex-linked genes indicating a defective MSCI. Consistent with this defect, mutant sex chromosomes displayed an abnormal presence of elongating RNA polymerase II coupled with an overall increase in chromatin accessibility detectable by ATAC-seq. By investigating potential mechanisms underlying these anomalies, we identified a role for ARID1A in promoting the preferential enrichment of the histone variant, H3.3, on the sex chromosomes, a known hallmark of MSCI. Without ARID1A, the sex chromosomes appeared depleted of H3.3 at levels resembling autosomes. Higher resolution analyses by CUT&RUN revealed dramatic shifts in sex-linked H3.3 associations from discrete intergenic sites and broader gene-body domains to promoters in response to the loss of ARID1A. Several sex-linked sites displayed ectopic H3.3 occupancy that does not co-localize with DMC1 (DNA Meiotic Recombinase 1). This observation suggests a requirement for ARID1A in DMC1 localization to the asynapsed sex chromatids. We conclude that ARID1A-directed H3.3 localization influences sex chromosome gene regulation and DNA repair during meiosis I.