Project description:PRDM9, a histone methyltransferase, initiates meiotic recombination by binding DNA at recombination hotspots and directing the position of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB). The DSB repair mechanism suggests that hotspots should eventually self-destruct, yet genome-wide recombination levels remain constant, a conundrum known as the hotspot paradox. To test if PRDM9 drives this evolutionary erosion, we compared activity of the Prdm9Cst allele in two Mus musculus subspecies, M.m. castaneus, in which Prdm9Cst arose, and M.m. domesticus, into which Prdm9Cst was introduced. Comparing these two strains, we find that haplotype differences at hotspots leads to qualitative and quantitative changes in PRDM9 binding and activity. Most variants affecting PRDM9Cst binding arose and were fixed in M.m castaneus, suppressing hotspot activity. Furthermore, M.m castaneus x M.m domesticus F1 hybrids exhibit novel hotspots, representing sites of historic evolutionary erosion. Together these data support a model where haplotype-specific PRDM9 binding directs biased gene conversion at hotspots, ultimately leading to hotspot erosion. Identify position of meiotic H3K4me3 from various sub-species of mice and F1 hybrids from crosses between subspecies. In addition, perform ChIP-seq analysis on the meiosis-specific methyltransferase PRDM9.
Project description:PRDM9, a histone methyltransferase, initiates meiotic recombination by binding DNA at recombination hotspots and directing the position of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB). The DSB repair mechanism suggests that hotspots should eventually self-destruct, yet genome-wide recombination levels remain constant, a conundrum known as the hotspot paradox. To test if PRDM9 drives this evolutionary erosion, we compared activity of the Prdm9Cst allele in two Mus musculus subspecies, M.m. castaneus, in which Prdm9Cst arose, and M.m. domesticus, into which Prdm9Cst was introduced. Comparing these two strains, we find that haplotype differences at hotspots leads to qualitative and quantitative changes in PRDM9 binding and activity. Most variants affecting PRDM9Cst binding arose and were fixed in M.m castaneus, suppressing hotspot activity. Furthermore, M.m castaneus x M.m domesticus F1 hybrids exhibit novel hotspots, representing sites of historic evolutionary erosion. Together these data support a model where haplotype-specific PRDM9 binding directs biased gene conversion at hotspots, ultimately leading to hotspot erosion.
