Silencing of unsynapsed meiotic chromosomes in the mouse.
In Neurospora, DNA unpaired in meiosis both is silenced and induces silencing of all DNA homologous to it. This process, called meiotic silencing by unpaired DNA, is thought to protect the host genome from invasion by transposable elements. We now show that silencing of unpaired (unsynapsed) chromosome regions also takes place in the mouse during both male and female meiosis. The tumor suppressor protein BRCA1 is implicated in this silencing, mirroring its role in the meiotic silencing of the X and Y chromosomes in normal male meiosis. These findings impact on the interpretation of the relationship between synaptic errors and sterility in mammals and extend our understanding of the biology of Brca1.
Turner
James M A
JM
Division of Stem Cell Research and Developmental Genetics, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK. jturner@nimr.mrc.ac.uk <jturner@nimr.mrc.ac.uk>
Mahadevaiah
Shantha K
SK
Fernandez-Capetillo
Oscar
O
Nussenzweig
André
A
Xu
Xiaoling
X
Deng
Chu-Xia
CX
Burgoyne
Paul S
PS
D000818:Animals; D064007:Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D023902:Chromosome Pairing; D004260:DNA Repair; D005260:Female; D020868:Gene Silencing; D019398:Genes, BRCA1 / Q000502:physiology; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008540:Meiosis; D051379:Mice; D009865:Oocytes / Q000502:physiology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013090:Spermatocytes / Q000502:physiology; D014178:Translocation, Genetic; D014960:X Chromosome; D014998:Y Chromosome
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D006657:Histones; C475961:gamma-H2AX protein, mouse; C576897:Atr protein, mouse; D064007:Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases