Review
Cell Biology
Nila M. Pazhayam, Carolyn A. Turcotte, Jeff Sekelsky
Summary: Proper number and placement of meiotic crossovers are crucial for chromosome segregation, with failures leading to aneuploidy and infertility. Meiotic crossovers are formed through homologous repair of double-strand breaks, and their placement is intricately patterned through interference, assurance, and suppression mechanisms. The mechanisms behind crossover patterning are largely unknown, with key players acting at different scales and considerable overlap between known patterning phenomena.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Alexandra Pyatnitskaya, Jessica Andreani, Raphael Guerois, Arnaud De Muyt, Valerie Borde
Summary: This study uncovers the functional link between crossover formation and synaptonemal complex (SC) assembly during meiotic recombination and identifies the molecular mechanism involved.
GENES & DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Stephanie Durand, Qichao Lian, Juli Jing, Marcel Ernst, Mathilde Grelon, David Zwicker, Raphael Mercier
Summary: This study proposes a model for crossover patterning, suggesting that the diffusion of HEI10 along the synaptonemal complex leads to a coarsening process that creates well-spaced crossover-promoting foci. The findings support this model and provide insight into the mechanistic basis of crossover control during meiosis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xiang Li, Mingsen Yu, Pablo Bolanos-Villegas, Jun Zhang, Di'an Ni, Hong Ma, Yingxiang Wang
Summary: The study revealed the crucial role of FANCM in shaping the distribution of meiotic Class-I crossovers in plants, with evolutionary divergent roles observed between Arabidopsis and lettuce in meiotic bivalent formation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Taicong Tan, Yingjin Tan, Ying Wang, Xiao Yang, Binyuan Zhai, Shuxian Zhang, Xuan Yang, Hui Nie, Jinmin Gao, Jun Zhou, Liangran Zhang, Shunxin Wang
Summary: This study reveals that negative supercoils play a crucial role in connecting interference and crossover interference in meiosis, and top2 gene mutations affect the accumulation and relief of negative supercoils, thereby regulating the strength of crossover interference.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Marie Sarens, Gregory P. Copenhaver, Nico De Storme
Summary: A new method was introduced to quantitatively express chromatid interference (CI) and research showed random involvement of sister chromatids in double CO events across chromosomes in Arabidopsis and maize, indicating an absence of CI. However, on a genome-wide level, CI was found to vary with physical distance between COs, with differing effects in the two plants.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
James D. Higgins, Kim Osman, Stuart D. Desjardins, Ian R. Henderson, Keith J. Edwards, F. Chris H. Franklin
Summary: This mini-review discusses the factors associated with restricted crossover formation in wheat, including timing of meiotic events, chromatin organisation, pre-meiotic DNA replication, and dosage of crossover genes, as a means to modulate recombination.
BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Corinne Grey, Bernard de Massy
Summary: The axial element plays a crucial role in establishing sister chromatid cohesion and meiotic recombination during prophase I of meiosis, contributing to the successful outcome of meiosis I.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Editorial Material
Genetics & Heredity
Charles Addo Nyarko, Annaliese S. Mason
Summary: Polyploids need to segregate homologous chromosomes correctly, which is not only determined by sequence similarity but also under strong genetic control that may vary between lineages. Factors such as partner availability and genome structure may also influence the level of sequence similarity required for crossover formation.
TRENDS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Yared Gutierrez Pinzon, Jose Kenyi Gonzalez Kise, Patricia Rueda, Arnaud Ronceret
Summary: The segregation of homologous chromosomes depends on their recombination, and the absence of meiotic checkpoints in plants allows observation of subsequent meiotic events, aiding in the understanding of recombination and bivalent formation mechanisms in plants.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jinchao Li, Cong Wang, Wenjie Liang, Jun Zhang, Chen-Kun Jiang, Yi Liu, Zhitong Ren, Dong Ci, Jinjie Chang, Shangling Han, Xing Wang Deng, Yingxiang Wang, Weiqiang Qian
Summary: AP sites are repaired by AP endonucleases (APEs), and plants usually possess three APEs, namely APE1L, APE2, and ARP. APE1L clade is plant-specific, and simultaneously mutating APE1L and APE2 in Arabidopsis thaliana results in clear developmental defects linked to genotoxic stress. The three plant APEs have different substrate preferences in vivo, with ARP mainly responsible for AP site repair, and APE1L and APE2 preferring to repair 3'-blocked single-stranded DNA breaks. APEs play an important role in DNA repair and the maintenance of genomic integrity in meiotic cells.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ying Wang, Binyuan Zhai, Taicong Tan, Xiao Yang, Jiaming Zhang, Meihui Song, Yingjin Tan, Xuan Yang, Tingting Chu, Shuxian Zhang, Shunxin Wang, Liangran Zhang
Summary: Meiotic recombination is regulated by chromosome organization, with the NuA4 complex catalytic subunit Esa1 playing a crucial role in chromosome axis length regulation and recombination frequency. Depletion of Esa1 affects chromosome structure and downregulates specific meiotic genes, leading to defects in meiotic processes.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jingqi Dai, Aurore Sanchez, Celine Adam, Lepakshi Ranjha, Giordano Reginato, Pierre Chervy, Carine Tellier-Lebegue, Jessica Andreani, Raphael Guerois, Virginie Ropars, Marie-Helene Le Du, Laurent Maloisel, Emmanuelle Martini, Pierre Legrand, Aurelien Thureau, Petr Cejka, Valerie Borde, Jean-Baptiste Charbonnier
Summary: The study characterized the crystal structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae MutL gamma and identified its specificity in mismatch repair and meiotic recombination. The research also revealed clear divergent features between MutL homologs and identified, at the molecular level, their specialization towards MMR or meiotic recombination functions.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Corentin Claeys Bouuaert, Stephen Pu, Juncheng Wang, Cedric Oger, Dima Daccache, Wei Xie, Dinshaw J. Patel, Scott Keeney
Summary: This study elucidates how Saccharomyces cerevisiae RMM proteins self-assemble on chromosome axes to create centers of DSB activity. Protein-DNA interactions drive condensation and recruitment of Spo11 complexes, highlighting the multilayered control of Spo11 in chromosome segregation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Corentin Claeys Bouuaert, Sam E. Tischfield, Stephen Pu, Eleni P. Mimitou, Ernesto Arias-Palomo, James M. Berger, Scott Keeney
Summary: The study provides molecular analysis of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Spo11 core complex and reveals structural and functional similarities with ancestral Topo VI. The Spo11 complex is found to be monomeric and exhibits topoisomerase-like DNA binding preferences, showing high affinity for DNA ends mimicking cleavage products. Mutations that reduce DNA binding in vitro lead to attenuated DSB formation and alterations in DSB processing and landscape in vivo.
NATURE STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2021)