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Barcytė D, Eliáš M. Hydrocytium expands the phylogenetic, morphological, and genomic diversity of the poorly known green algal order Chaetopeltidales. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2023; 110:e16238. [PMID: 37661934 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Chaetopeltidales is a small, understudied order of the green algal class Chlorophyceae, that is slowly expanding with the occasional discoveries of novel algae. Here we demonstrate that hitherto unrecognized chaetopeltidaleans also exist among previously described but neglected and misclassified species. METHODS Strain SAG 40.91 of Characium acuminatum, shown by previous preliminary evidence to have affinities with the orders Oedogoniales, Chaetophorales, and Chaetopeltidales (together constituting the OCC clade), was investigated with light and electron microscopy to characterize its morphology and ultrastructure. Sequence assemblies of the organellar and nuclear genomes were obtained and utilized in bioinformatic and phylogenetic analyses to address the phylogenetic position of the alga and its salient genomic features. RESULTS The characterization of strain SAG 40.91 and a critical literature review led us to reinstate the forgotten genus Hydrocytium A.Braun 1855, with SAG 40.91 representing its type species, Hydrocytium acuminatum. Independent molecular markers converged on placing H. acuminatum as a deeply diverged lineage of the order Chaetopeltidales, formalized as the new family Hydrocytiaceae. Both chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes shared characteristics with other members of Chaetopeltidales and were bloated by repetitive sequences. Notably, the mitochondrial cox2a gene was transferred into the nuclear genome in the H. acuminatum lineage, independently of the same event in Volvocales. The nuclear genome data from H. acuminatum and from another chaetopeltidalean that was reported by others revealed endogenized viral sequences corresponding to novel members of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota. CONCLUSIONS The resurrected genus Hydrocytium expands the known diversity of chaetopeltidalean algae and provides the first glimpse into their virosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dovilė Barcytė
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Chittussiho 10, Ostrava, 710 00, Czech Republic
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
| | - Marek Eliáš
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Chittussiho 10, Ostrava, 710 00, Czech Republic
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Telomeres and Their Neighbors. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13091663. [PMID: 36140830 PMCID: PMC9498494 DOI: 10.3390/genes13091663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomeres are essential structures formed from satellite DNA repeats at the ends of chromosomes in most eukaryotes. Satellite DNA repeat sequences are useful markers for karyotyping, but have a more enigmatic role in the eukaryotic cell. Much work has been done to investigate the structure and arrangement of repetitive DNA elements in classical models with implications for species evolution. Still more is needed until there is a complete picture of the biological function of DNA satellite sequences, particularly when considering non-model organisms. Celebrating Gregor Mendel’s anniversary by going to the roots, this review is designed to inspire and aid new research into telomeres and satellites with a particular focus on non-model organisms and accessible experimental and in silico methods that do not require specialized equipment or expensive materials. We describe how to identify telomere (and satellite) repeats giving many examples of published (and some unpublished) data from these techniques to illustrate the principles behind the experiments. We also present advice on how to perform and analyse such experiments, including details of common pitfalls. Our examples are a selection of recent developments and underexplored areas of research from the past. As a nod to Mendel’s early work, we use many examples from plants and insects, especially as much recent work has expanded beyond the human and yeast models traditional in telomere research. We give a general introduction to the accepted knowledge of telomere and satellite systems and include references to specialized reviews for the interested reader.
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Schrumpfová PP, Fajkus J. Composition and Function of Telomerase-A Polymerase Associated with the Origin of Eukaryotes. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10101425. [PMID: 33050064 PMCID: PMC7658794 DOI: 10.3390/biom10101425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The canonical DNA polymerases involved in the replication of the genome are unable to fully replicate the physical ends of linear chromosomes, called telomeres. Chromosomal termini thus become shortened in each cell cycle. The maintenance of telomeres requires telomerase—a specific RNA-dependent DNA polymerase enzyme complex that carries its own RNA template and adds telomeric repeats to the ends of chromosomes using a reverse transcription mechanism. Both core subunits of telomerase—its catalytic telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) subunit and telomerase RNA (TR) component—were identified in quick succession in Tetrahymena more than 30 years ago. Since then, both telomerase subunits have been described in various organisms including yeasts, mammals, birds, reptiles and fish. Despite the fact that telomerase activity in plants was described 25 years ago and the TERT subunit four years later, a genuine plant TR has only recently been identified by our group. In this review, we focus on the structure, composition and function of telomerases. In addition, we discuss the origin and phylogenetic divergence of this unique RNA-dependent DNA polymerase as a witness of early eukaryotic evolution. Specifically, we discuss the latest information regarding the recently discovered TR component in plants, its conservation and its structural features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Procházková Schrumpfová
- Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137 Brno, Czech Republic;
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, CZ-62500 Brno, Czech Republic
- Correspondence:
| | - Jiří Fajkus
- Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, CZ-61137 Brno, Czech Republic;
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, CZ-62500 Brno, Czech Republic
- The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic
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Peska V, Garcia S. Origin, Diversity, and Evolution of Telomere Sequences in Plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:117. [PMID: 32153618 PMCID: PMC7046594 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Telomeres are basic structures of eukaryote genomes. They distinguish natural chromosome ends from double-stranded breaks in DNA and protect chromosome ends from degradation or end-to-end fusion with other chromosomes. Telomere sequences are usually tandemly arranged minisatellites, typically following the formula (TxAyGz)n. Although they are well conserved across large groups of organisms, recent findings in plants imply that their diversity has been underestimated. Changes in telomeres are of enormous evolutionary importance as they can affect whole-genome stability. Even a small change in the telomere motif of each repeat unit represents an important interference in the system of sequence-specific telomere binding proteins. Here, we provide an overview of telomere sequences, considering the latest phylogenomic evolutionary framework of plants in the broad sense (Archaeplastida), in which new telomeric sequences have recently been found in diverse and economically important families such as Solanaceae and Amaryllidaceae. In the family Lentibulariaceae and in many groups of green algae, deviations from the typical plant telomeric sequence have also been detected recently. Ancestry and possible homoplasy in telomeric motifs, as well as extant gaps in knowledge are discussed. With the increasing availability of genomic approaches, it is likely that more telomeric diversity will be uncovered in the future. We also discuss basic methods used for telomere identification and we explain the implications of the recent discovery of plant telomerase RNA on further research about the role of telomerase in eukaryogenesis or on the molecular causes and consequences of telomere variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vratislav Peska
- Department of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biophysics, Brno, Czechia
| | - Sònia Garcia
- Institut Botànic de Barcelona (IBB, CSIC-Ajuntament de Barcelona), Barcelona, Spain
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Abstract
Conventional approaches to identify a telomere motif in a new genome are laborious and time-intensive. An efficient new methodology based on next-generation sequencing (NGS), de novo sequence repeat finder (SERF) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is presented. Unlike existing heuristic approaches, SERF utilizes an exhaustive analysis of raw NGS reads or assembled contigs for rapid de novo detection of conserved tandem repeats representing telomere motifs. SERF was validated using the NGS data from Ipheion uniflorum and Allium cepa with known telomere motifs. The analysis program was then used on NGS data to investigate the telomere motifs in several additional plant species and together with FISH proved to be an efficient approach to identify as yet unknown telomere motifs.
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Eberhard S, Valuchova S, Ravat J, Fulneček J, Jolivet P, Bujaldon S, Lemaire SD, Wollman FA, Teixeira MT, Riha K, Xu Z. Molecular characterization of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii telomeres and telomerase mutants. Life Sci Alliance 2019; 2:2/3/e201900315. [PMID: 31160377 PMCID: PMC6549138 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.201900315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Revised: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
This study characterizes the sequence, end structure, and length distribution of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii telomeres and shows that telomerase mutants are defective in telomere maintenance. Telomeres are repeated sequences found at the end of the linear chromosomes of most eukaryotes and are required for chromosome integrity. Expression of the reverse-transcriptase telomerase allows for extension of telomeric repeats to counteract natural telomere shortening. Although Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a photosynthetic unicellular green alga, is widely used as a model organism in photosynthesis and flagella research, and for biotechnological applications, the biology of its telomeres has not been investigated in depth. Here, we show that the C. reinhardtii (TTTTAGGG)n telomeric repeats are mostly nondegenerate and that the telomeres form a protective structure, with a subset ending with a 3′ overhang and another subset presenting a blunt end. Although telomere size and length distributions are stable under various standard growth conditions, they vary substantially between 12 genetically close reference strains. Finally, we identify CrTERT, the gene encoding the catalytic subunit of telomerase and show that telomeres shorten progressively in mutants of this gene. Telomerase mutants eventually enter replicative senescence, demonstrating that telomerase is required for long-term maintenance of telomeres in C. reinhardtii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Eberhard
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7141, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Biologie du Chloroplaste et Perception de la Lumière chez les Micro-algues, Paris, France
| | - Sona Valuchova
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Julie Ravat
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7141, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Biologie du Chloroplaste et Perception de la Lumière chez les Micro-algues, Paris, France
| | - Jaroslav Fulneček
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Pascale Jolivet
- Sorbonne Université, PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR 8226, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire des Eucaryotes, Paris, France
| | - Sandrine Bujaldon
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7141, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Biologie du Chloroplaste et Perception de la Lumière chez les Micro-algues, Paris, France
| | - Stéphane D Lemaire
- Sorbonne Université, PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR 8226, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire des Eucaryotes, Paris, France
| | - Francis-André Wollman
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7141, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Biologie du Chloroplaste et Perception de la Lumière chez les Micro-algues, Paris, France
| | - Maria Teresa Teixeira
- Sorbonne Université, PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR 8226, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire des Eucaryotes, Paris, France
| | - Karel Riha
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zhou Xu
- Sorbonne Université, PSL Research University, CNRS, UMR 8226, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire des Eucaryotes, Paris, France .,Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7238, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Laboratory of Computational and Quantitative Biology, Paris, France
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Procházková Schrumpfová P, Schořová Š, Fajkus J. Telomere- and Telomerase-Associated Proteins and Their Functions in the Plant Cell. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:851. [PMID: 27446102 PMCID: PMC4924339 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2015] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Telomeres, as physical ends of linear chromosomes, are targets of a number of specific proteins, including primarily telomerase reverse transcriptase. Access of proteins to the telomere may be affected by a number of diverse factors, e.g., protein interaction partners, local DNA or chromatin structures, subcellular localization/trafficking, or simply protein modification. Knowledge of composition of the functional nucleoprotein complex of plant telomeres is only fragmentary. Moreover, the plant telomeric repeat binding proteins that were characterized recently appear to also be involved in non-telomeric processes, e.g., ribosome biogenesis. This interesting finding was not totally unexpected since non-telomeric functions of yeast or animal telomeric proteins, as well as of telomerase subunits, have been reported for almost a decade. Here we summarize known facts about the architecture of plant telomeres and compare them with the well-described composition of telomeres in other organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Procházková Schrumpfová
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk UniversityBrno, Czech Republic
- Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk UniversityBrno, Czech Republic
- *Correspondence: Petra Procházková Schrumpfová,
| | - Šárka Schořová
- Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk UniversityBrno, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Fajkus
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk UniversityBrno, Czech Republic
- Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk UniversityBrno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i.Brno, Czech Republic
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