Caenorhabditis elegans prom-1 is required for meiotic prophase progression and homologous chromosome pairing.
A novel gene, prom-1, was isolated in a screen for Caenorhabditis elegans mutants with increased apoptosis in the germline. prom-1 encodes an F-box protein with limited homology to the putative human tumor suppressor FBXO47. Mutations in the prom-1 locus cause a strong reduction in bivalent formation, which results in increased embryonic lethality and a Him phenotype. Furthermore, retarded and asynchronous nuclear reorganization as well as reduced homologous synapsis occur during meiotic prophase. Accumulation of recombination protein RAD-51 in meiotic nuclei suggests disturbed repair of double-stranded DNA breaks. Nuclei in prom-1 mutant gonads timely complete mitotic proliferation and premeiotic replication, but they undergo prolonged delay upon meiotic entry. We, therefore, propose that prom-1 regulates the timely progression through meiotic prophase I and that in its absence the recognition of homologous chromosomes is strongly impaired.
Jantsch
Verena
V
Department of Chromosome Biology and Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, A-1030 Vienna, Austria.
Tang
Lois
L
Pasierbek
Pawel
P
Penkner
Alexandra
A
Nayak
Sudhir
S
Baudrimont
Antoine
A
Schedl
Tim
T
Gartner
Anton
A
Loidl
Josef
J
D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D023902:Chromosome Pairing / Q000235:genetics*; D044783:F-Box Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005303:Fertility Agents, Male; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D011418:Prophase / Q000235:genetics*
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D044783:F-Box Proteins; D005303:Fertility Agents, Male; C506262:Htp-1 protein, C elegans; C527326:PROM-1 protein, C elegans