The CAF-1 and Hir Histone Chaperones Associate with Sites of Meiotic Double-Strand Breaks in Budding Yeast.
In the meiotic prophase, programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) are introduced along chromosomes to promote homolog pairing and recombination. Although meiotic DSBs usually occur in nucleosome-depleted, accessible regions of chromatin, their repair by homologous recombination takes place in a nucleosomal environment. Nucleosomes may represent an obstacle for the recombination machinery and their timely eviction and reincorporation into chromatin may influence the outcome of recombination, for instance by stabilizing recombination intermediates. Here we show in budding yeast that nucleosomes flanking a meiotic DSB are transiently lost during recombination, and that specific histone H3 chaperones, CAF-1 and Hir, are mobilized at meiotic DSBs. However, the absence of these chaperones has no effect on meiotic recombination, suggesting that timely histone reincorporation following their eviction has no influence on the recombination outcome, or that redundant pathways are activated. This study is the first example of the involvement of histone H3 chaperones at naturally occurring, developmentally programmed DNA double-strand breaks.
Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, Paris, France; CNRS, UMR 3664, Paris, France.
Elsa
E
Brachet
Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, Paris, France; CNRS, UMR 3664, Paris, France.
Claire
C
Béneut
Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, Paris, France; CNRS, UMR 3664, Paris, France.
Maria-Elisabetta
ME
Serrentino
Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, Paris, France; CNRS, UMR 3664, Paris, France.
Valérie
V
Borde
D053903:DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D056488:Histone Chaperones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D008540:Meiosis; D053858:Metabolic Networks and Pathways; D050296:Microbial Viability / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation; D009707:Nucleosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D004718:Saccharomycetales / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013172:Spores, Fungal
D005656:Fungal Proteins; D056488:Histone Chaperones; D006657:Histones; D009707:Nucleosomes; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen