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Zhang HX, Zhou YL, Xu WY, Chen XL, Jiang JY, Zhou XM, Wang ZG, Ke RQ, Guo QW. Polymerase chain reaction-based assays facilitate the breeding and study of mouse models of Klinefelter syndrome. Asian J Androl 2021; 24:102-108. [PMID: 34100389 PMCID: PMC8788596 DOI: 10.4103/aja.aja_38_21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is one of the most frequent genetic abnormalities and the leading genetic cause of nonobstructive azoospermia. The breeding and study of KS mouse models are essential to advancing our knowledge of the underlying pathological mechanism. Karyotyping and fluorescence in situ hybridization are reliable methods for identifying chromosomal contents. However, technical issues associated with these methods can decrease the efficiency of breeding KS mouse models and limit studies that require rapid identification of target mice. To overcome these limitations, we developed three polymerase chain reaction-based assays to measure specific genetic information, including presence or absence of the sex determining region of chromosome Y (Sry), copy number of amelogenin, X-linked (Amelx), and inactive X specific transcripts (Xist) levels. Through a combined analysis of the assay results, we can infer the karyotype of target mice. We confirmed the utility of our assays with the successful generation of KS mouse models. Our assays are rapid, inexpensive, high capacity, easy to perform, and only require small sample amounts. Therefore, they facilitate the breeding and study of KS mouse models and help advance our knowledge of the pathological mechanism underlying KS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai-Xia Zhang
- United Diagnostic and Research Center for Clinical Genetics, Women and Children's Hospital, School of Medicine and School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Yu-Lin Zhou
- United Diagnostic and Research Center for Clinical Genetics, Women and Children's Hospital, School of Medicine and School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Wen-Yan Xu
- United Diagnostic and Research Center for Clinical Genetics, Women and Children's Hospital, School of Medicine and School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Xiao-Lu Chen
- United Diagnostic and Research Center for Clinical Genetics, Women and Children's Hospital, School of Medicine and School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Jia-Yang Jiang
- School of Biomedical Sciences and School of Medicine, Huaqiao University, Quanzhou 362021, China
| | - Xiao-Man Zhou
- United Diagnostic and Research Center for Clinical Genetics, Women and Children's Hospital, School of Medicine and School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
| | - Zeng-Ge Wang
- Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100045, China
| | - Rong-Qin Ke
- School of Biomedical Sciences and School of Medicine, Huaqiao University, Quanzhou 362021, China
| | - Qi-Wei Guo
- United Diagnostic and Research Center for Clinical Genetics, Women and Children's Hospital, School of Medicine and School of Public Health, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China
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Wesley ER, Hawley RS, Billmyre KK. Genetic background impacts the timing of synaptonemal complex breakdown in Drosophila melanogaster. Chromosoma 2020; 129:243-254. [PMID: 33068154 PMCID: PMC7666587 DOI: 10.1007/s00412-020-00742-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Experiments performed in different genetic backgrounds occasionally exhibit failure in experimental reproducibility. This is a serious issue in Drosophila where there are no standard control stocks. Here, we illustrate the importance of controlling genetic background by showing that the timing of a major meiotic event, the breakdown of the synaptonemal complex (SC), varies in different genetic backgrounds. We assessed SC breakdown in three different control stocks and found that in one control stock, y w; svspa-pol, the SC broke down earlier than in Oregon-R and w1118 stocks. We further examined SC breakdown in these three control backgrounds with flies heterozygous for a null mutation in c(3)G, which encodes a key structural component of the SC. Flies heterozygous for c(3)G displayed differences in the timing of SC breakdown in different control backgrounds, providing evidence of a sensitizing effect of this mutation. These observations suggest that SC maintenance is associated with the dosage of c(3)G in some backgrounds. Lastly, chromosome segregation was not affected by premature SC breakdown in mid-prophase, consistent with previous findings that chromosome segregation is not dependent on full-length SC in mid-prophase. Thus, genetic background is an important variable to consider with respect to SC behavior during Drosophila meiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily R Wesley
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
- University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA
| | - R Scott Hawley
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, 64110, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA.
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Choi K, Yelina NE, Serra H, Henderson IR. Quantification and Sequencing of Crossover Recombinant Molecules from Arabidopsis Pollen DNA. Methods Mol Biol 2017; 1551:23-57. [PMID: 28138839 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-6750-6_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
During meiosis, homologous chromosomes undergo recombination, which can result in formation of reciprocal crossover molecules. Crossover frequency is highly variable across the genome, typically occurring in narrow hotspots, which has a significant effect on patterns of genetic diversity. Here we describe methods to measure crossover frequency in plants at the hotspot scale (bp-kb), using allele-specific PCR amplification from genomic DNA extracted from the pollen of F1 heterozygous plants. We describe (1) titration methods that allow amplification, quantification and sequencing of single crossover molecules, (2) quantitative PCR methods to more rapidly measure crossover frequency, and (3) application of high-throughput sequencing for study of crossover distributions within hotspots. We provide detailed descriptions of key steps including pollen DNA extraction, prior identification of hotspot locations, allele-specific oligonucleotide design, and sequence analysis approaches. Together, these methods allow the rate and recombination topology of plant hotspots to be robustly measured and compared between varied genetic backgrounds and environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyuha Choi
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Nataliya E Yelina
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Heïdi Serra
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Ian R Henderson
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK.
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Gómez R, Van Damme K, Gosálvez J, Morán ES, Colbourne JK. Male meiosis in Crustacea: synapsis, recombination, epigenetics and fertility in Daphnia magna. Chromosoma 2015; 125:769-87. [PMID: 26685998 PMCID: PMC5023733 DOI: 10.1007/s00412-015-0558-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Revised: 10/28/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We present the first detailed cytological study of male meiosis in Daphnia (Crustacea: Branchiopoda: Cladocera)—an aquatic microcrustacean with a cyclical parthenogenetic life cycle. Using immunostaining of the testes in Daphnia magna for baseline knowledge, we characterized the different stages of meiotic division and spermiogenesis in relation to the distribution of proteins involved in synapsis, early recombination events and sister chromatid cohesion. We also studied post-translational histone modifications in male spermatocytes, in relation to the dynamic chromatin progression of meiosis. Finally, we applied a DNA fragmentation test to measure sperm quality of D. magna, with respect to levels of inbreeding. As a proxy for fertility, this technique may be used to assess the reproductive health of a sentinel species of aquatic ecosystems. Daphnia proves to be a model species for comparative studies of meiosis that is poised to improve our understanding of the cytological basis of sexual and asexual reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocío Gómez
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049, Madrid, Spain. .,Environmental Genomics Group. School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK. .,Chromosome Dynamics Group. School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Kay Van Damme
- Environmental Genomics Group. School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Jaime Gosálvez
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eugenio Sánchez Morán
- Chromosome Dynamics Group. School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK
| | - John K Colbourne
- Environmental Genomics Group. School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK
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Börner GV, Cha RS. Analysis of Recombination and Chromosome Structure during Yeast Meiosis. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2015; 2015:970-4. [PMID: 26527771 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.top077636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Meiosis is a diploid-specific differentiation program that consists of a single round of genome duplication followed by two rounds of chromosome segregation. These events result in halving of the genetic complement, which is a requirement for formation of haploid reproductive cells (i.e., spores in yeast and gametes in animals and plants). During meiosis I, homologous maternal and paternal chromosomes (homologs) pair and separate, whereas sister chromatids remain connected at the centromeres and separate during the second meiotic division. In most organisms, accurate homolog disjunction requires crossovers, which are formed as products of meiotic recombination. For the past two decades, studies of yeast meiosis have provided invaluable insights into evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of meiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Valentin Börner
- Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115-2214
| | - Rita S Cha
- North West Cancer Research Institute, School of Medical Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2UW, United Kingdom
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Börner GV, Cha RS. Induction and Analysis of Synchronous Meiotic Yeast Cultures. Cold Spring Harb Protoc 2015; 2015:908-13. [PMID: 26430251 DOI: 10.1101/pdb.prot085035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae can be induced by deprivation of nutrients. Here, we present a protocol for inducing synchronous meiosis in SK1, the most efficient and synchronous yeast strain for meiosis, by exposing SK1 cells to liquid medium that contains potassium acetate as a nonfermentable carbon source and lacks nitrogen. These synchronous meiotic yeast cultures can be subjected to a range of molecular and cytological analyses, making them useful for investigating the genetic and molecular determinants of meiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Valentin Börner
- Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio 44115-2214
| | - Rita S Cha
- North West Cancer Research Institute, School of Medical Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2UW, United Kingdom
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