GSE163474
Rat PRDM9 shapes recombination landscapes, duration of meiosis, gametogenesis, and age of fertility
Vertebrate recombination concentrates in meiotic chromatin regions (hotspots) that are opened in some species by the DNA-sequence-specific-binding histone H3 trimethyltransferase PRDM9, while other species recombine in regions with already opened chromatin and other function. Inactivation of the mouse Prdm9 gene induces the shift of hotspots to functional regions, gross fertility reduction in males, and sterility in females. In contrast, the other  vertebrate species lacking PRDM9 remain fertile. To resolve this discrepancy, we generated Prdm9 deletions in the Rattus norvegicus genome and generated the first rat genome-wide maps of recombination-initiating double-strand break hotspots. Rat strains carrying the same wild-type Prdm9 allele shared 88% hotspots but strains with different Prdm9 alleles only 3%. After Prdm9 deletion, rat hotspots relocated to functional regions, 40% to positions corresponding to Prdm9-independent mouse hotspots. Despite of hotspot relocation and of decreased fertility, Prdm9-deficient rats of the SHR/OlaIpcv strain produced apparently normal offspring. Rat PRDM9 thus makes recombination landscape unique, but it is unnecessary for recombination. This peculiarity is likely similar for human PRDM9 and may resolve the paradox between the apparently species-specific functions. PRDM9 is known to play a role in speciation, as it causes mouse hybrid sterility via meiotic asynapsis. Besides the expected mild meiotic arrest, we also detected apoptosis of postmeiotic spermatids, suggesting that PRDM9 has an additional role during spermatogenesis and perhaps also in speciation. Overall design: DSB hotspots were mapped in three wild-type rat strains and in rats either hemi-zygous or homozygous for loss of functional Prdm9. H3K4me3 ChIP-Seq was also performed to study the histone marks made by the Prdm9 protein.