GSE52283
Global analyses of cell cycle dependent changes in fission yeast genome organization reveal correlations with alterations in transcript levels [GCC]
The successful progression of a cell through the cell cycle requires the temporal regulation of many biological processes, including gene transcript levels and the number and condensation of chromosomes. Fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) is a paradigm for cell cycle research and model for higher eukaryotic cells. Due to the small size of its genome, it is highly amenable to high resolution studies of the spatial organization of its genome. Here we present the results of a high resolution study in which we used synchronised S. pombe cells to investigate cell cycle phase dependent changes in genome organization and transcription patterns. We reveal cell cycle dependant changes in connections within and between chromosomes while confirming previously observed features of genome organization, such as telomere clustering. Our results show that chromosomes are effectively circular throughout the cell cycle and that they remain connected even during the M phase. Determining the structure and transcript levels for matched synchronized cells revealed: 1) that genes with high transcript levels are highly connected with the genome at specific stages of the cell cycle; and 2) that interactions have positive and negative effects on transcript levels. We hypothesize that the observed correlations between transcript levels and the formation and disruption of cell cycle specific chromosomal interactions implicate genome organization in epigenetic inheritance and bookmarking. Overall design: Genome Conformation Capture was used to determine the three dimensional organization of Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells synchronized at three pahses of the cell cycle; G1, G2 and M phase.