Caenorhabditis elegans Ce-rdh-1/rad-51 functions after double-strand break formation of meiotic recombination

Takako Takanami, Akiyuki Mori, Hideyuki Takahashi, Saburo Horiuchi, Atsushi Higashitani

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

During meiotic prophase 1, homologous recombination is accompanied by dynamic chromosomal changes. The Ce-rdh-1/rad-51 gene is the only bacterial recA-like gene in the nematode C. elegans genome. Upon depletion of Ce-rdh-1/rad-51 using the RNA interference method, abnormal 'kinked' chromosomes can be observed in mature oocytes at diakinesis, whereas synapsis between homologous chromosomes during the pachytene stage is normal. Following fertilization, Ce-rdh-1/rad-51-depleted embryos die early in embryogenesis, and their nuclei exhibit abnormal chromosome fragments and bridges. From epistasis analyses with Ce-spo-11 defective mutant and ionizing radiation, it is indicated that Ce-rdh-1/rad-51 functions after double-strand break (DSB) formation of meiotic recombination. Under the Ce-chk-2 defective condition, whose meiotic synapsis and meiotic recombination between homologous chromosomes are completely inhibited, the Ce-rdh-1/rad51 is normally expressed in the gonadal cells. Moreover, it seems that exogenous DSBs in the Ce-chk-2 defective nuclei at the pachytene stage can be repaired between sister chromatids in a Ce-rdh-1/rad-51-dependent manner. These results indicate that Ce-rdh-1/rad51 functions after both endogenous and exogenous DSB formation during meiosis, but not as 'pairing centers' for meiotic synapsis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)125-135
Number of pages11
JournalChromosome Research
Volume11
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2003

Keywords

  • Ce-chk-2
  • Homologous recombination
  • Meiosis
  • recA-like gene

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Genetics

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Caenorhabditis elegans Ce-rdh-1/rad-51 functions after double-strand break formation of meiotic recombination'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this