Reduced dosage of the chromosome axis factor Red1 selectively disrupts the meiotic recombination checkpoint in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract The MMS4 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was originally identified due to its sensitivity to MMS in vegetative cells. Subsequent studies have confirmed a role for MMS4 in DNA metabolism of vegetative cells. In addition, mms4 diploids were observed to sporulate poorly. This work demonstrates that the mms4 sporulation defect is due to triggering of the meiotic recombination checkpoint. Genetic, physical, and cytological analyses suggest that MMS4 functions after the single end invasion step of meiotic recombination. In spo13 diploids, red1, but not mek1, is epistatic to mms4 for sporulation and spore viability, suggesting that MMS4 may be required only when homologs are capable of undergoing synapsis. MMS4 and MUS81 are in the same epistasis group for spore viability, consistent with biochemical data that show that the two proteins function in a complex. In contrast, MMS4 functions independently of MSH5 in the production of viable spores. We propose that MMS4 is required for the processing of specific recombination intermediates during meiosis.

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NDT80 and the Meiotic Recombination Checkpoint Regulate Expression of Middle Sporulation-Specific Genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.18.10.5750 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 18 (10) ◽

pp. 5750-5761 ◽

Cited By ~ 97

Author(s):

Shelley R. Hepworth ◽

Helena Friesen ◽

Jacqueline Segall

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Meiotic Recombination ◽

Active Form ◽

Specific Gene ◽

Subsequent Generation ◽

Genes Encoding ◽

Recombination Checkpoint ◽

Sporulation Genes ◽

Meiosis I

ABSTRACT Distinct classes of sporulation-specific genes are sequentially expressed during the process of spore formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The transition from expression of early meiotic genes to expression of middle sporulation-specific genes occurs at about the time that cells exit from pachytene and form the meiosis I spindle. To identify genes encoding potential regulators of middle sporulation-specific gene expression, we screened for mutants that expressed early meiotic genes but failed to express middle sporulation-specific genes. We identified mutant alleles ofRPD3, SIN3, and NDT80 in this screen. Rpd3p, a histone deacetylase, and Sin3p are global modulators of gene expression. Ndt80p promotes entry into the meiotic divisions. We found that entry into the meiotic divisions was not required for activation of middle sporulation genes; these genes were efficiently expressed in a clb1 clb3 clb4 strain, which fails to enter the meiotic divisions due to reduced Clb-dependent activation of Cdc28p kinase. In contrast, middle sporulation genes were not expressed in a dmc1 strain, which fails to enter the meiotic divisions because a defect in meiotic recombination leads to aRAD17-dependent checkpoint arrest. Expression of middle sporulation genes, as well as entry into the meiotic divisions, was restored to a dmc1 strain by mutation of RAD17. Our studies also revealed that NDT80 was a temporally distinct, pre-middle sporulation gene and that its expression was reduced, but not abolished, on mutation of DMC1,RPD3, SIN3, or NDT80 itself. In summary, our data indicate that Ndt80p is required for expression of middle sporulation genes and that the activity of Ndt80p is controlled by the meiotic recombination checkpoint. Thus, middle genes are expressed only on completion of meiotic recombination and subsequent generation of an active form of Ndt80p.

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Role of Ndt80, Sum1, and Swe1 as Targets of the Meiotic Recombination Checkpoint That Control Exit from Pachytene and Spore Formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.22.18.6430-6440.2002 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 22 (18) ◽

pp. 6430-6440 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Julia Pak ◽

Jacqueline Segall

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Meiotic Recombination ◽

Spore Wall ◽

Feedback Mechanism ◽

Spore Formation ◽

Wall Formation ◽

Low Level ◽

Chromosome Synapsis ◽

Recombination Checkpoint

ABSTRACT The meiotic recombination checkpoint, which is triggered by defects in recombination or chromosome synapsis, arrests sporulating cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae at pachytene by preventing accumulation of active Clb-Cdc28. We compared the effects of manipulating the three known targets of the meiotic recombination checkpoint, NDT80, SWE1, and SUM1, in dmc1-arrested cells. Ndt80 is an activator of a set of middle sporulation-specific genes (MSGs), which includes CLB genes and genes involved in spore wall formation; Swe1 inhibits Clb-Cdc28 activity; and Sum1 is a repressor of NDT80 and some MSGs. Activation of the checkpoint leads to inhibition of Ndt80 activity and to stabilization of Swe1 and Sum1. Thus, dmc1-arrested cells fail to express MSGs, arrest at pachytene, and do not form spores. Our study shows that dmc1/dmc1 sum1/sum1 cells expressed MSGs prematurely and at high levels, entered the meiotic divisions efficiently, and in some cases formed asci containing mature spores. In contrast, dmc1/dmc1 swe1/swe1 cells expressed MSGs at a very low level, were inefficient and delayed in entry into the meiotic divisions, and never formed mature spores. We found that cells of dmc1/dmc1 sum1/sum1 ndt80/ndt80 and dmc1/dmc1 swe1/swe1 ndt80/ndt80 strains arrested at pachytene and that dmc1/dmc1 or dmc1/dmc1 swe1/swe1 cells overexpressing NDT80 were less efficient in bypassing checkpoint-mediated arrest than dmc1/dmc1 sum1/sum1 cells. Our results are consistent with previous suggestions that increased Clb-Cdc28 activity, caused by mutation of SWE1 or by an NDT80-dependent increase in CLB expression, allows dmc1/dmc1 cells to exit pachytene and that subsequent upregulation of Ndt80 activity by a feedback mechanism promotes entry into the meiotic divisions. Spore morphogenesis, however, requires efficient and timely activation of MSGs, which we speculate was achieved in dmc1/dmc1 sum1/sum1 cells by premature expression of NDT80.

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Impact of histone H4K16 acetylation on the meiotic recombination checkpoint in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Microbial Cell ◽

10.15698/mic2016.12.548 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (12) ◽

pp. 606-620 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Santiago Cavero ◽

Esther Herruzo ◽

David Ontoso ◽

Pedro San-Segundo

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Meiotic Recombination ◽

H4k16 Acetylation ◽

Recombination Checkpoint

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Noncanonical contributions of MutLγ to VDE-initiated crossovers during Saccharomyces cerevisiae meiosis

10.1101/510297 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Anura Shodhan ◽

Darpan Medhi ◽

Michael Lichten

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Meiotic Recombination ◽

Meiotic Chromosome ◽

Chromosome Size ◽

Protein Enrichment ◽

Poor Region ◽

Primary Determinant ◽

Recombination Pathway ◽

Chromosome Axis ◽

Dependent Processes

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the meiosis-specific axis proteins Hop1 and Red1 are present nonuniformly across the genome. In a previous study, the meiosis-specific VMAl-derived endonuclease (VDE) was used to examine Spo11-independent recombination in a recombination reporter inserted in a Hop1/Red1-enriched region (HIS4) and in a Hop1/Red1-poor region (URA3). VDE-initiated crossovers at HIS4 were mostly dependent on Mlh3, a component of the MutLγ meiotic recombination intermediate resolvase, while VDE-initiated crossovers at URA3 were mostly Mlh3-independent. These differences were abolished in the absence of the chromosome axis remodeler Pch2, and crossovers at both loci become partly Mlh3-dependent. To test the generality of these observations, we examined inserts at six additional loci that differed in terms of Hop1/Red1 enrichment, chromosome size, and distance from centromeres and telomeres. All six loci behaved similarly to URA3: the vast majority of VDE-initiated crossovers were Mlh3-independent. This indicates that, counter to previous suggestions, meiotic chromosome axis protein enrichment is not a primary determinant of which recombination pathway gives rise to crossovers during VDE-initiated meiotic recombination. In pch2Δ mutants, the fraction of VDE-induced crossovers that were Mlh3-dependent increased to levels previously observed for Spo11-initiated crossovers in pch2Δ, indicating that Pch2-dependent processes play an important role in controlling the distribution of factors necessary for MutLγ-dependent crossovers.

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Poorly Repaired Mismatches in Heteroduplex DNA are Hyper-Recombinagenic in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/142.2.407 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 142 (2) ◽

pp. 407-416 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

P Manivasakam ◽

Susan M Rosenberg ◽

P J Hastings

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Mismatch Repair ◽

Genetic Markers ◽

Meiotic Recombination ◽

Repair System ◽

Normal Allele ◽

Heteroduplex Dna ◽

Mismatch Repair System ◽

Postmeiotic Segregation ◽

System Operating

Abstract In yeast meiotic recombination, alleles used as genetic markers fall into two classes as regards their fate when incorporated into heteroduplex DNA. Normal alleles are those that form heteroduplexes that are nearly always recognized and corrected by the mismatch repair system operating in meiosis. High PMS (postmeiotic segregation) alleles form heteroduplexes that are inefficiently mismatch repaired. We report that placing any of several high PMS alleles very close to normal alleles causes hyperrecombination between these markers. We propose that this hyperrecombination is caused by the high PMS allele blocking a mismatch repair tract initiated from the normal allele, thus preventing corepair of the two alleles, which would prevent formation of recombinants. The results of three point crosses involving two PMS alleles and a normal allele suggest that high PMS alleles placed between two alleles that are normally corepaired block that corepair.

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Genetic Control of Recombination Partner Preference in Yeast Meiosis: Isolation and Characterization of Mutants Elevated for Meiotic Unequal Sister-Chromatid Recombination

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/153.2.621 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 153 (2) ◽

pp. 621-641 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Dawn A Thompson ◽

Franklin W Stahl

Keyword(s):

Sister Chromatid ◽

Meiotic Recombination ◽

Class Ii ◽

Class Iii ◽

Viability Analysis ◽

Isolation And Characterization ◽

Recombination Checkpoint ◽

Recombination Pathway ◽

Checkpoint Genes ◽

Sister Chromatid Recombination

AbstractMeiotic exchange occurs preferentially between homologous chromatids, in contrast to mitotic recombination, which occurs primarily between sister chromatids. To identify functions that direct meiotic recombination events to homologues, we screened for mutants exhibiting an increase in meiotic unequal sister-chromatid recombination (SCR). The msc (meiotic sister-chromatid recombination) mutants were quantified in spo13 meiosis with respect to meiotic unequal SCR frequency, disome segregation pattern, sporulation frequency, and spore viability. Analysis of the msc mutants according to these criteria defines three classes. Mutants with a class I phenotype identified new alleles of the meiosis-specific genes RED1 and MEK1, the DNA damage checkpoint genes RAD24 and MEC3, and a previously unknown gene, MSC6. The genes RED1, MEK1, RAD24, RAD17, and MEC1 are required for meiotic prophase arrest induced by a dmc1 mutation, which defines a meiotic recombination checkpoint. Meiotic unequal SCR was also elevated in a rad17 mutant. Our observation that meiotic unequal SCR is elevated in meiotic recombination checkpoint mutants suggests that, in addition to their proposed monitoring function, these checkpoint genes function to direct meiotic recombination events to homologues. The mutants in class II, including a dmc1 mutant, confer a dominant meiotic lethal phenotype in diploid SPO13 meiosis in our strain background, and they identify alleles of UBR1, INP52, BUD3, PET122, ELA1, and MSC1-MSC3. These results suggest that DMC1 functions to bias the repair of meiosis-specific double-strand breaks to homologues. We hypothesize that the genes identified by the class II mutants function in or are regulators of the DMC1-promoted interhomologue recombination pathway. Class III mutants may be elevated for rates of both SCR and homologue exchange.

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Crossover Interference in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Requires a TID1/RDH54- and DMC1-Dependent Pathway

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/163.4.1273 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 163 (4) ◽

pp. 1273-1286 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Miki Shinohara ◽

Kazuko Sakai ◽

Akira Shinohara ◽

Douglas K Bishop

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Meiotic Recombination ◽

Strand Break ◽

Tetrad Analysis ◽

Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Crossover Interference ◽

Meiotic Progression ◽

Invasion Stage ◽

Strand Invasion ◽

Dependent Pathway

Abstract Two RecA-like recombinases, Rad51 and Dmc1, function together during double-strand break (DSB)-mediated meiotic recombination to promote homologous strand invasion in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Two partially redundant proteins, Rad54 and Tid1/Rdh54, act as recombinase accessory factors. Here, tetrad analysis shows that mutants lacking Tid1 form four-viable-spore tetrads with levels of interhomolog crossover (CO) and noncrossover recombination similar to, or slightly greater than, those in wild type. Importantly, tid1 mutants show a marked defect in crossover interference, a mechanism that distributes crossover events nonrandomly along chromosomes during meiosis. Previous work showed that dmc1Δ mutants are strongly defective in strand invasion and meiotic progression and that these defects can be partially suppressed by increasing the copy number of RAD54. Tetrad analysis is used to show that meiotic recombination in RAD54-suppressed dmc1Δ cells is similar to that in tid1; the frequency of COs and gene conversions is near normal, but crossover interference is defective. These results support the proposal that crossover interference acts at the strand invasion stage of recombination.

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Suppressor Analysis of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Gene REC104 Reveals a Genetic Interaction With REC102

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/151.4.1261 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 151 (4) ◽

pp. 1261-1272 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Laura Salem ◽

Natalie Walter ◽

Robert Malone

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Meiotic Recombination ◽

Null Allele ◽

Genetic Interaction ◽

In Vitro Mutagenesis ◽

Conditional Mutations ◽

Suppressor Analysis

Abstract REC104 is a gene required for the initiation of meiotic recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To better understand the role of REC104 in meiosis, we used an in vitro mutagenesis technique to create a set of temperature-conditional mutations in REC104 and used one ts allele (rec104-8) in a screen for highcopy suppressors. An increased dosage of the early exchange gene REC102 was found to suppress the conditional recombinational reduction in rec104-8 as well as in several other conditional rec104 alleles. However, no suppression was observed for a null allele of REC104, indicating that the suppression by REC102 is not “bypass” suppression. Overexpression of the early meiotic genes REC114, RAD50, HOP1, and RED1 fails to suppress any of the rec104 conditional alleles, indicating that the suppression might be specific to REC102.

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Competition Between Adjacent Meiotic Recombination Hotspots in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/145.3.661 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 145 (3) ◽

pp. 661-670 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Qing-Qing Fan ◽

Fei Xu ◽

Michael A White ◽

Thomas D Petes

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Meiotic Recombination ◽

Telomeric Sequence ◽

Coding Region ◽

Dna Breaks ◽

Local Formation ◽

Yeast Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Recombination Hotspots ◽

Double Strand Dna Breaks ◽

His4 Gene

In a wild-type strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a hotspot for meiotic recombination is located upstream of the HIS4 gene. An insertion of a 49-bp telomeric sequence into the coding region of HIS4 strongly stimulates meiotic recombination and the local formation of meiosis-specific double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs). When strains are constructed in which both hotspots are heterozygous, hotspot activity is substantially less when the hotspots are on the same chromosome than when they are on opposite chromosomes.

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