Project description:Diploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells undergo meiosis when they are starved of nitrogen in the presence of a non-fermentable carbon source. Nutrient starvation triggers expression of Ime1, a master regulatory protein required to activate transcription of meiotic “early genes” that mediate premeiotic S phase and Prophase I processes, including recombination and chromosome synapsis. During prophase, the highly conserved, topisomerase-like protein, Spo11, generates ~200 double strand breaks that are used to identify homologous chromosomes and generate crossovers between them. DNA-RNA hybrids are formed when an RNA molecule anneals to a complementary strand of DNA and are present at the ends of double strand breaks during Prophase I of meiosis in a variety of organisms. One way of removing DNA/RNA hybrids is degradation of the RNA by RNase H. Phenotypic characterization of organisms lacking RNase H activity has demonstrated that regulation of the level of DNA-RNA hybrids is important for meiotic double strand break repair. Sen1 is an essential 5’-3’ DNA-RNA helicase that can remove DNA-RNA hybrids by unwinding the RNA. Sen1 is orthologous to the mammalian Senataxin (SETX) helicase. Mouse mutants lacking either Senataxin or RNase H activity exhibit male infertility and defects in double strand break repair. SETX is also required for meiotic sex chromosome inactivation, making it unclear whether SETX’s role in meiotic recombination is direct or an indirect consequence due to defects in SETX functions that affect transcription. Using a variety of orthogonal approaches, this work demonstrates that SEN1 has multiple, temporally distinct functions that promote yeast meiosis. First, it enables the timely expression of IME1-regulated early genes. Second, it helps prevent/remove DNA-RNA hybrids that form during premeiotic S phase. Third, it facilitates repair of Spo11 double strand breaks generated during Prophase I, as well as chromosome synapsis.
Project description:RNA-DNA hybrids are a major internal cause of DNA damage within cells, and their degradation by RNAse H enzymes is important for maintaining genomic stability. Here, we identified an unexpected role for RNA-DNA hybrids and RNase H enzymes in DNA repair. Using a site-specific DNA double-stranded break (DSB) system in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we showed that RNA-DNA hybrids form as part of the homologous recombination (HR)-mediated DSB repair process and RNase H enzymes are essential for their degradation and efficient completion of DNA repair. Deleting RNase H stabilizes RNA-DNA hybrids around DSB sites and strongly impairs recruitment of the ssDNA-binding RPA complex. In contrast, overexpressing RNase H1 destabilizes these hybrids, leading to excessive strand resection and RPA recruitment, and to severe loss of repeat regions around DSBs. Our study challenges the existing model of HR-mediated DSB repair, and reveals a surprising role for RNA-DNA hybrids in maintaining genomic stability.
Project description:RNA-DNA hybrids are a major internal cause of DNA damage within cells, and their degradation by RNAse H enzymes is important for maintaining genomic stability. Here, we identified an unexpected role for RNA-DNA hybrids and RNase H enzymes in DNA repair. Using a site-specific DNA double-stranded break (DSB) system in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we showed that RNA-DNA hybrids form as part of the homologous recombination (HR)-mediated DSB repair process and RNase H enzymes are essential for their degradation and efficient completion of DNA repair. Deleting RNase H stabilizes RNA-DNA hybrids around DSB sites and strongly impairs recruitment of the ssDNA-binding RPA complex. In contrast, overexpressing RNase H1 destabilizes these hybrids, leading to excessive strand resection and RPA recruitment, and to severe loss of repeat regions around DSBs. Our study challenges the existing model of HR-mediated DSB repair, and reveals a surprising role for RNA-DNA hybrids in maintaining genomic stability.
Project description:Meiotic recombination facilitates accurate pairing and faithful segregation of homologous chromosomes by forming physical connections (crossovers) between homologs. Developmentally programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) generated by Spo11 protein (Rec12 in fission yeast) initiate meiotic recombination. Until recently, attempts to address the basis of the highly non-random distribution of DSBs on a genome-wide scale have been limited to 0.1–1 kb resolution of DSB position. We have assessed individual DSB events across the Schizosaccharomyces pombe genome at near-nucleotide resolution by deep-sequencing the short oligonucleotides connected to Rec12 following DNA cleavage. The single oligonucleotide size-class generated by Rec12 allowed us to effectively analyze all break events. Our high-resolution DSB map shows that the influence of underlying nucleotide sequence and chromosomal architecture differs in multiple ways from that in budding yeast. Rec12 action is not strongly restricted to nucleosome-depleted regions but is nevertheless spatially biased with respect to chromatin structure. Furthermore, we find strong evidence across the genome for differential DSB repair previously predicted to account for crossover invariance (constant cM/kb in spite of DSB hotspots). Our genome-wide analyses demonstrate evolutionarily fluid factors contributing to crossover initiation and its regulation.
2014-06-25 | GSE49977 | GEO
Project description:Repair-seq screens of double-strand break repair
Project description:Meiotic recombination facilitates accurate pairing and faithful segregation of homologous chromosomes by forming physical connections (crossovers) between homologs. Developmentally programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) generated by Spo11 protein (Rec12 in fission yeast) initiate meiotic recombination. Until recently, attempts to address the basis of the highly non-random distribution of DSBs on a genome-wide scale have been limited to 0.1M-bM-^@M-^S1 kb resolution of DSB position. We have assessed individual DSB events across the Schizosaccharomyces pombe genome at near-nucleotide resolution by deep-sequencing the short oligonucleotides connected to Rec12 following DNA cleavage. The single oligonucleotide size-class generated by Rec12 allowed us to effectively analyze all break events. Our high-resolution DSB map shows that the influence of underlying nucleotide sequence and chromosomal architecture differs in multiple ways from that in budding yeast. Rec12 action is not strongly restricted to nucleosome-depleted regions but is nevertheless spatially biased with respect to chromatin structure. Furthermore, we find strong evidence across the genome for differential DSB repair previously predicted to account for crossover invariance (constant cM/kb in spite of DSB hotspots). Our genome-wide analyses demonstrate evolutionarily fluid factors contributing to crossover initiation and its regulation. Three samples total: one sample sequenced by 454 and two technical replicates (independent adaptor ligations from material purified from one culture) sequenced by SOLiD
Project description:CGH of stage 13 amplifying follicle cells to measure changes in replication fork progression in double-strand break repair mutants Comparative genomic hybridization was performed to compare amplification gradients of stage 13 follicle cells from several double-strand break repair mutants to wild type (OrR) gradients. Two-three replicates were done for each genotype.
Project description:In the bacterium Escherichia coli, RecG directs DNA synthesis during the repair of DNA double-strand breaks by homologous recombination. Examination of RecA binding during double-strand break repair in Escherichia coli in the presence and absence of RecG protein