1
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Elkrewi M, Vicoso B. Single-nucleus atlas of the Artemia female reproductive system suggests germline repression of the Z chromosome. PLoS Genet 2024; 20:e1011376. [PMID: 39213449 PMCID: PMC11392275 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Revised: 09/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of the molecular pathways that regulate oogenesis and define cellular identity in the Arthropod female reproductive system and the extent of their conservation is currently very limited. This is due to the focus on model systems, including Drosophila and Daphnia, which do not reflect the observed diversity of morphologies, reproductive modes, and sex chromosome systems. We use single-nucleus RNA and ATAC sequencing to produce a comprehensive single nucleus atlas of the adult Artemia franciscana female reproductive system. We map our data to the Fly Cell Atlas single-nucleus dataset of the Drosophila melanogaster ovary, shedding light on the conserved regulatory programs between the two distantly related Arthropod species. We identify the major cell types known to be present in the Artemia ovary, including germ cells, follicle cells, and ovarian muscle cells. Additionally, we use the germ cells to explore gene regulation and expression of the Z chromosome during meiosis, highlighting its unique regulatory dynamics and allowing us to explore the presence of meiotic sex chromosome silencing in this group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marwan Elkrewi
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Beatriz Vicoso
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), Klosterneuburg, Austria
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2
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Trost N, Mbengue N, Kaessmann H. The molecular evolution of mammalian spermatogenesis. Cells Dev 2023; 175:203865. [PMID: 37336426 PMCID: PMC10363733 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2023.203865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
The testis is a key male reproductive organ that produces gametes through the process of spermatogenesis. Testis morphologies, sperm phenotypes, and the process of spermatogenesis evolve rapidly in mammals, presumably due to the evolutionary pressure on males to give rise to their own offspring. Here, we review studies illuminating the molecular evolution of the testis, in particular large-scale transcriptomic studies, which were based on bulk tissue samples and, more recently, individual cells. Together with various genomic and epigenomic data, these studies have unveiled the cellular source, molecular mechanisms, and evolutionary forces that underlie the rapid phenotypic evolution of the testis. They also revealed shared (ancestral) and species-specific spermatogenic gene expression programs. The insights and available data that have accumulated also provide a valuable resource for the investigation and treatment of male fertility disorders - a dramatically increasing problem in modern industrial societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Trost
- Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Noe Mbengue
- Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Henrik Kaessmann
- Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
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3
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Valero-Regalón FJ, Solé M, López-Jiménez P, Valerio-de Arana M, Martín-Ruiz M, de la Fuente R, Marín-Gual L, Renfree MB, Shaw G, Berríos S, Fernández-Donoso R, Waters PD, Ruiz-Herrera A, Gómez R, Page J. Divergent patterns of meiotic double strand breaks and synapsis initiation dynamics suggest an evolutionary shift in the meiosis program between American and Australian marsupials. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1147610. [PMID: 37181752 PMCID: PMC10166821 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1147610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In eutherian mammals, hundreds of programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are generated at the onset of meiosis. The DNA damage response is then triggered. Although the dynamics of this response is well studied in eutherian mammals, recent findings have revealed different patterns of DNA damage signaling and repair in marsupial mammals. To better characterize these differences, here we analyzed synapsis and the chromosomal distribution of meiotic DSBs markers in three different marsupial species (Thylamys elegans, Dromiciops gliorides, and Macropus eugenii) that represent South American and Australian Orders. Our results revealed inter-specific differences in the chromosomal distribution of DNA damage and repair proteins, which were associated with differing synapsis patterns. In the American species T. elegans and D. gliroides, chromosomal ends were conspicuously polarized in a bouquet configuration and synapsis progressed exclusively from the telomeres towards interstitial regions. This was accompanied by sparse H2AX phosphorylation, mainly accumulating at chromosomal ends. Accordingly, RAD51 and RPA were mainly localized at chromosomal ends throughout prophase I in both American marsupials, likely resulting in reduced recombination rates at interstitial positions. In sharp contrast, synapsis initiated at both interstitial and distal chromosomal regions in the Australian representative M. eugenii, the bouquet polarization was incomplete and ephemeral, γH2AX had a broad nuclear distribution, and RAD51 and RPA foci displayed an even chromosomal distribution. Given the basal evolutionary position of T. elegans, it is likely that the meiotic features reported in this species represent an ancestral pattern in marsupials and that a shift in the meiotic program occurred after the split of D. gliroides and the Australian marsupial clade. Our results open intriguing questions about the regulation and homeostasis of meiotic DSBs in marsupials. The low recombination rates observed at the interstitial chromosomal regions in American marsupials can result in the formation of large linkage groups, thus having an impact in the evolution of their genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mireia Solé
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Genetics of Male Fertility Group, Unitat de Biologia Cel·lular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pablo López-Jiménez
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Valerio-de Arana
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Martín-Ruiz
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Roberto de la Fuente
- Department of Experimental Embryology, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology of The Polish Academy of Sciences, Jastrzębiec, Poland
| | - Laia Marín-Gual
- Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Genome Integrity and Instability Group, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marilyn B. Renfree
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Geoff Shaw
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Soledad Berríos
- Programa de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Raúl Fernández-Donoso
- Programa de Genética Humana, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Paul D. Waters
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, Faculty of Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Aurora Ruiz-Herrera
- Departament de Biologia Cel·lular, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Genome Integrity and Instability Group, Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rocío Gómez
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesús Page
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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4
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Murat F, Mbengue N, Winge SB, Trefzer T, Leushkin E, Sepp M, Cardoso-Moreira M, Schmidt J, Schneider C, Mößinger K, Brüning T, Lamanna F, Belles MR, Conrad C, Kondova I, Bontrop R, Behr R, Khaitovich P, Pääbo S, Marques-Bonet T, Grützner F, Almstrup K, Schierup MH, Kaessmann H. The molecular evolution of spermatogenesis across mammals. Nature 2023; 613:308-316. [PMID: 36544022 PMCID: PMC9834047 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05547-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The testis produces gametes through spermatogenesis and evolves rapidly at both the morphological and molecular level in mammals1-6, probably owing to the evolutionary pressure on males to be reproductively successful7. However, the molecular evolution of individual spermatogenic cell types across mammals remains largely uncharacterized. Here we report evolutionary analyses of single-nucleus transcriptome data for testes from 11 species that cover the three main mammalian lineages (eutherians, marsupials and monotremes) and birds (the evolutionary outgroup), and include seven primates. We find that the rapid evolution of the testis was driven by accelerated fixation rates of gene expression changes, amino acid substitutions and new genes in late spermatogenic stages, probably facilitated by reduced pleiotropic constraints, haploid selection and transcriptionally permissive chromatin. We identify temporal expression changes of individual genes across species and conserved expression programs controlling ancestral spermatogenic processes. Genes predominantly expressed in spermatogonia (germ cells fuelling spermatogenesis) and Sertoli (somatic support) cells accumulated on X chromosomes during evolution, presumably owing to male-beneficial selective forces. Further work identified transcriptomal differences between X- and Y-bearing spermatids and uncovered that meiotic sex-chromosome inactivation (MSCI) also occurs in monotremes and hence is common to mammalian sex-chromosome systems. Thus, the mechanism of meiotic silencing of unsynapsed chromatin, which underlies MSCI, is an ancestral mammalian feature. Our study illuminates the molecular evolution of spermatogenesis and associated selective forces, and provides a resource for investigating the biology of the testis across mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florent Murat
- Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany. .,INRAE, LPGP, Rennes, France.
| | - Noe Mbengue
- Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Sofia Boeg Winge
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.,International Center for Research and Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Bioinformatics Research Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Timo Trefzer
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité, University of Medicine Berlin, Corporate Member of the Free University of Berlin, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Evgeny Leushkin
- Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mari Sepp
- Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Julia Schmidt
- Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Celine Schneider
- Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Katharina Mößinger
- Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Thoomke Brüning
- Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Francesco Lamanna
- Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Christian Conrad
- Berlin Institute of Health at Charité, University of Medicine Berlin, Corporate Member of the Free University of Berlin, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ivanela Kondova
- Biomedical Primate Research Center (BPRC), Rijswijk, the Netherlands
| | - Ronald Bontrop
- Biomedical Primate Research Center (BPRC), Rijswijk, the Netherlands
| | - Rüdiger Behr
- German Primate Center (DPZ), Platform Degenerative Diseases, Göttingen, Germany.,German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Philipp Khaitovich
- Center for Neurobiology and Brain Restoration, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Svante Pääbo
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain.,Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.,CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain.,Miquel Crusafont Catalan Institute of Paleontology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Frank Grützner
- The Robinson Research Institute, School of Biological Science, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Kristian Almstrup
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.,International Center for Research and Research Training in Endocrine Disruption of Male Reproduction and Child Health, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Henrik Kaessmann
- Center for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
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5
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X Chromosome Inactivation during Grasshopper Spermatogenesis. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12121844. [PMID: 34946793 PMCID: PMC8700825 DOI: 10.3390/genes12121844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 11/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulation of transcriptional activity during meiosis depends on the interrelated processes of recombination and synapsis. In eutherian mammal spermatocytes, transcription levels change during prophase-I, being low at the onset of meiosis but highly increased from pachytene up to the end of diplotene. However, X and Y chromosomes, which usually present unsynapsed regions throughout prophase-I in male meiosis, undergo a specific pattern of transcriptional inactivation. The interdependence of synapsis and transcription has mainly been studied in mammals, basically in mouse, but our knowledge in other unrelated phylogenetically species is more limited. To gain new insights on this issue, here we analyzed the relationship between synapsis and transcription in spermatocytes of the grasshopper Eyprepocnemis plorans. Autosomal chromosomes of this species achieve complete synapsis; however, the single X sex chromosome remains always unsynapsed and behaves as a univalent. We studied transcription in meiosis by immunolabeling with RNA polymerase II phosphorylated at serine 2 and found that whereas autosomes are active from leptotene up to diakinesis, the X chromosome is inactive throughout meiosis. This inactivation is accompanied by the accumulation of, at least, two repressive epigenetic modifications: H3 methylated at lysine 9 and H2AX phosphorylated at serine 139. Furthermore, we identified that X chromosome inactivation occurs in premeiotic spermatogonia. Overall, our results indicate: (i) transcription regulation in E. plorans spermatogenesis differs from the canonical pattern found in mammals and (ii) X chromosome inactivation is likely preceded by a process of heterochromatinization before the initiation of meiosis.
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6
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Pajpach F, Shearwin-Whyatt L, Grützner F. Evolution, Expression and Meiotic Behavior of Genes Involved in Chromosome Segregation of Monotremes. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:1320. [PMID: 34573302 PMCID: PMC8470780 DOI: 10.3390/genes12091320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Chromosome segregation at mitosis and meiosis is a highly dynamic and tightly regulated process that involves a large number of components. Due to the fundamental nature of chromosome segregation, many genes involved in this process are evolutionarily highly conserved, but duplications and functional diversification has occurred in various lineages. In order to better understand the evolution of genes involved in chromosome segregation in mammals, we analyzed some of the key components in the basal mammalian lineage of egg-laying mammals. The chromosome passenger complex is a multiprotein complex central to chromosome segregation during both mitosis and meiosis. It consists of survivin, borealin, inner centromere protein, and Aurora kinase B or C. We confirm the absence of Aurora kinase C in marsupials and show its absence in both platypus and echidna, which supports the current model of the evolution of Aurora kinases. High expression of AURKBC, an ancestor of AURKB and AURKC present in monotremes, suggests that this gene is performing all necessary meiotic functions in monotremes. Other genes of the chromosome passenger complex complex are present and conserved in monotremes, suggesting that their function has been preserved in mammals. Cohesins are another family of genes that are of vital importance for chromosome cohesion and segregation at mitosis and meiosis. Previous work has demonstrated an accumulation and differential loading of structural maintenance of chromosomes 3 (SMC3) on the platypus sex chromosome complex at meiotic prophase I. We investigated if a similar accumulation occurs in the echidna during meiosis I. In contrast to platypus, SMC3 was only found on the synaptonemal complex in echidna. This indicates that the specific distribution of SMC3 on the sex chromosome complex may have evolved specifically in platypus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Frank Grützner
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia; (F.P.); (L.S.-W.)
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7
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Muyle A, Bachtrog D, Marais GAB, Turner JMA. Epigenetics drive the evolution of sex chromosomes in animals and plants. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200124. [PMID: 33866802 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We review how epigenetics affect sex chromosome evolution in animals and plants. In a few species, sex is determined epigenetically through the action of Y-encoded small RNAs. Epigenetics is also responsible for changing the sex of individuals through time, even in species that carry sex chromosomes, and could favour species adaptation through breeding system plasticity. The Y chromosome accumulates repeats that become epigenetically silenced which leads to an epigenetic conflict with the expression of Y genes and could accelerate Y degeneration. Y heterochromatin can be lost through ageing, which activates transposable elements and lowers male longevity. Y chromosome degeneration has led to the evolution of meiotic sex chromosome inactivation in eutherians (placentals) and marsupials, and dosage compensation mechanisms in animals and plants. X-inactivation convergently evolved in eutherians and marsupials via two independently evolved non-coding RNAs. In Drosophila, male X upregulation by the male specific lethal (MSL) complex can spread to neo-X chromosomes through the transposition of transposable elements that carry an MSL-binding motif. We discuss similarities and possible differences between plants and animals and suggest future directions for this dynamic field of research. This article is part of the theme issue 'How does epigenetics influence the course of evolution?'
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Muyle
- University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Doris Bachtrog
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Gabriel A B Marais
- Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive UMR 5558, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France.,LEAF- Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal
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8
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Gil-Fernández A, Matveevsky S, Martín-Ruiz M, Ribagorda M, Parra MT, Viera A, Rufas JS, Kolomiets O, Bakloushinskaya I, Page J. Sex differences in the meiotic behavior of an XX sex chromosome pair in males and females of the mole vole Ellobius tancrei: turning an X into a Y chromosome? Chromosoma 2021; 130:113-131. [PMID: 33825031 DOI: 10.1007/s00412-021-00755-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Sex determination in mammals is usually provided by a pair of chromosomes, XX in females and XY in males. Mole voles of the genus Ellobius are exceptions to this rule. In Ellobius tancrei, both males and females have a pair of XX chromosomes that are indistinguishable from each other in somatic cells. Nevertheless, several studies on Ellobius have reported that the two X chromosomes may have a differential organization and behavior during male meiosis. It has not yet been demonstrated if these differences also appear in female meiosis. To test this hypothesis, we have performed a comparative study of chromosome synapsis, recombination, and histone modifications during male and female meiosis in E. tancrei. We observed that synapsis between the two X chromosomes is limited to the short distal (telomeric) regions of the chromosomes in males, leaving the central region completely unsynapsed. This uneven behavior of sex chromosomes during male meiosis is accompanied by structural modifications of one of the X chromosomes, whose axial element tends to appear fragmented, accumulates the heterochromatin mark H3K9me3, and is associated with a specific nuclear body that accumulates epigenetic marks and proteins such as SUMO-1 and centromeric proteins but excludes others such as H3K4me, ubiH2A, and γH2AX. Unexpectedly, sex chromosome synapsis is delayed in female meiosis, leaving the central region unsynapsed during early pachytene. This region accumulates γH2AX up to the stage in which synapsis is completed. However, there are no structural or epigenetic differences similar to those found in males in either of the two X chromosomes. Finally, we observed that recombination in the sex chromosomes is restricted in both sexes. In males, crossover-associated MLH1 foci are located exclusively in the distal regions, indicating incipient differentiation of one of the sex chromosomes into a neo-Y. Notably, in female meiosis, the central region of the X chromosome is also devoid of MLH1 foci, revealing a lack of recombination, possibly due to insufficient homology. Overall, these results reveal new clues about the origin and evolution of sex chromosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Gil-Fernández
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sergey Matveevsky
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Marta Martín-Ruiz
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Ribagorda
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Teresa Parra
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto Viera
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Julio S Rufas
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Oxana Kolomiets
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Irina Bakloushinskaya
- Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Jesús Page
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
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9
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Meiotic analyses show adaptations to maintenance of fertility in X1Y1X2Y2X3Y3X4Y4X5Y5 system of amazon frog Leptodactylus pentadactylus (Laurenti, 1768). Sci Rep 2020; 10:16327. [PMID: 33004883 PMCID: PMC7529792 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72867-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Heterozygous chromosomal rearrangements can result in failures during the meiotic cycle and the apoptosis of germline, making carrier individuals infertile. The Amazon frog Leptodactylus pentadactylus has a meiotic multivalent, composed of 12 sex chromosomes. The mechanisms by which this multi-chromosome system maintains fertility in males of this species remain undetermined. In this study we investigated the meiotic behavior of this multivalent to understand how synapse, recombination and epigenetic modifications contribute to maintaining fertility and chromosomal sexual determination in this species. Our sample had 2n = 22, with a ring formed by ten chromosomes in meiosis, indicating a new system of sex determination for this species (X1Y1X2Y2X3Y3X4Y4X5Y5). Synapsis occurs in the homologous terminal portion of the chromosomes, while part of the heterologous interstitial regions performed synaptic adjustment. The multivalent center remains asynaptic until the end of pachytene, with interlocks, gaps and rich-chromatin in histone H2A phosphorylation at serine 139 (γH2AX), suggesting transcriptional silence. In late pachytene, paired regions show repair of double strand-breaks (DSBs) with RAD51 homolog 1 (Rad51). These findings suggest that Rad51 persistence creates positive feedback at the pachytene checkpoint, allowing meiosis I to progress normally. Additionally, histone H3 trimethylation at lysine 27 in the pericentromeric heterochromatin of this anuran can suppress recombination in this region, preventing failed chromosomal segregation. Taken together, these results indicate that these meiotic adaptations are required for maintenance of fertility in L. pentadactylus.
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10
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Abstract
The evolution of heteromorphic sex chromosomes has occurred independently many times in different lineages. The differentiation of sex chromosomes leads to dramatic changes in sequence composition and function and guides the evolutionary trajectory and utilization of genes in pivotal sex determination and reproduction roles. In addition, meiotic recombination and pairing mechanisms are key in orchestrating the resultant impact, retention and maintenance of heteromorphic sex chromosomes, as the resulting exposure of unpaired DNA at meiosis triggers ancient repair and checkpoint pathways. In this review, we summarize the different ways in which sex chromosome systems are organized at meiosis, how pairing is affected, and differences in unpaired DNA responses. We hypothesize that lineage specific differences in meiotic organization is not only a consequence of sex chromosome evolution, but that the establishment of epigenetic changes on sex chromosomes contributes toward their evolutionary conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tasman Daish
- Comparative Genome Biology Laboratory, Department of Molecular and Biomedical Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Frank Grützner
- Comparative Genome Biology Laboratory, Department of Molecular and Biomedical Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
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11
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Vujošević M, Rajičić M, Blagojević J. B Chromosomes in Populations of Mammals Revisited. Genes (Basel) 2018; 9:E487. [PMID: 30304868 PMCID: PMC6210394 DOI: 10.3390/genes9100487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2018] [Revised: 10/01/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The study of B chromosomes (Bs) started more than a century ago, while their presence in mammals dates since 1965. As the past two decades have seen huge progress in application of molecular techniques, we decided to throw a glance on new data on Bs in mammals and to review them. We listed 85 mammals with Bs that make 1.94% of karyotypically studied species. Contrary to general view, a typical B chromosome in mammals appears both as sub- or metacentric that is the same size as small chromosomes of standard complement. Both karyotypically stable and unstable species possess Bs. The presence of Bs in certain species influences the cell division, the degree of recombination, the development, a number of quantitative characteristics, the host-parasite interactions and their behaviour. There is at least some data on molecular structure of Bs recorded in nearly a quarter of species. Nevertheless, a more detailed molecular composition of Bs presently known for six mammalian species, confirms the presence of protein coding genes, and the transcriptional activity for some of them. Therefore, the idea that Bs are inert is outdated, but the role of Bs is yet to be determined. The maintenance of Bs is obviously not the same for all species, so the current models must be adapted while bearing in mind that Bs are not inactive as it was once thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mladen Vujošević
- Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", Department of Genetic Research, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, Belgrade 11060, Serbia.
| | - Marija Rajičić
- Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", Department of Genetic Research, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, Belgrade 11060, Serbia.
| | - Jelena Blagojević
- Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", Department of Genetic Research, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, Belgrade 11060, Serbia.
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12
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Larson EL, Kopania EEK, Good JM. Spermatogenesis and the Evolution of Mammalian Sex Chromosomes. Trends Genet 2018; 34:722-732. [PMID: 30077434 PMCID: PMC6161750 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2018.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2018] [Revised: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Developmental constraint and sexual conflict shape the evolution of heteromorphic sex chromosomes. These contrasting forces are perhaps strongest during spermatogenesis in species with XY males. In this review, we consider how the unique regulatory environment and selective pressures of spermatogenesis interact to impact sex chromosome evolution in mammals. We explore how each developmental phase of spermatogenesis influences sex chromosome gene content, structure, and rate of molecular evolution, and how these attributes may contribute to speciation. We argue that a developmental context is fundamental to understanding sex chromosome evolution and that an evolutionary perspective can shed new light on our understanding of sperm development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica L Larson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80208, USA.
| | - Emily E K Kopania
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Good
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
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13
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Gautier C, Guenin SP, Riest-Fery I, Perry TJ, Legros C, Nosjean O, Simonneaux V, Grützner F, Boutin JA. Characterization of the Mel1c melatoninergic receptor in platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus). PLoS One 2018. [PMID: 29529033 PMCID: PMC5846726 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Melatonin is a neurohormone produced in both animals and plants. It binds at least three G-protein-coupled receptors: MT1 and MT2, and Mel1cGPR. Mammalian GPR50 evolved from the reptilian/avian Mel1c and lost its capacity to bind melatonin in all the therian mammal species that have been tested. In order to determine if binding is lost in the oldest surviving mammalian lineage of monotremes we investigated whether the melatonin receptor has the ability to bind melatonin in the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), and evaluated its pharmacological profile. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis showed that platypus has in fact retained the ancestral Mel1c and has the capacity to bind melatonin similar to other mammalian melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2), with an affinity in the 1 nM range. We also investigated the binding of a set of melatoninergic ligands used previously to characterize the molecular pharmacology of the melatonin receptors from sheep, rats, mice, and humans and found that the general profiles of these compounds make Mel1c resemble human MT1 more than MT2. This work shows that the loss of GPR50 binding evolved after the divergence of monotremes less than 190MYA in therian mammals.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Base Sequence
- COS Cells
- Chlorocebus aethiops
- Cloning, Molecular/methods
- Melatonin/metabolism
- Phylogeny
- Platypus/genetics
- Platypus/metabolism
- Protein Binding
- Receptor, Melatonin, MT1/chemistry
- Receptor, Melatonin, MT1/genetics
- Receptor, Melatonin, MT1/metabolism
- Receptor, Melatonin, MT2/chemistry
- Receptor, Melatonin, MT2/genetics
- Receptor, Melatonin, MT2/metabolism
- Receptors, Melatonin/chemistry
- Receptors, Melatonin/genetics
- Receptors, Melatonin/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Célia Gautier
- PEX Biotechnologie Chimie & Biologie, Institut de Recherches Servier, Croissy sur Seine, France
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Strasbourg, France
| | - Sophie-Penelope Guenin
- PEX Biotechnologie Chimie & Biologie, Institut de Recherches Servier, Croissy sur Seine, France
| | - Isabelle Riest-Fery
- PEX Biotechnologie Chimie & Biologie, Institut de Recherches Servier, Croissy sur Seine, France
| | - Tahlia Jade Perry
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Céline Legros
- PEX Biotechnologie Chimie & Biologie, Institut de Recherches Servier, Croissy sur Seine, France
| | - Olivier Nosjean
- PEX Biotechnologie Chimie & Biologie, Institut de Recherches Servier, Croissy sur Seine, France
- Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier, Suresnes, France
| | - Valerie Simonneaux
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégratives, Strasbourg, France
| | - Frank Grützner
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Jean A. Boutin
- PEX Biotechnologie Chimie & Biologie, Institut de Recherches Servier, Croissy sur Seine, France
- Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier, Suresnes, France
- * E-mail:
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14
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Link V, Aguilar-Gómez D, Ramírez-Suástegui C, Hurst LD, Cortez D. Male Mutation Bias Is the Main Force Shaping Chromosomal Substitution Rates in Monotreme Mammals. Genome Biol Evol 2018; 9:2198-2210. [PMID: 28922870 PMCID: PMC5604096 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evx155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In many species, spermatogenesis involves more cell divisions than oogenesis, and the male germline, therefore, accumulates more DNA replication errors, a phenomenon known as male mutation bias. The extent of male mutation bias (α) is estimated by comparing substitution rates of the X, Y, and autosomal chromosomes, as these chromosomes spend different proportions of their time in the germlines of the two sexes. Male mutation bias has been characterized in placental and marsupial mammals as well as birds, but analyses in monotremes failed to detect any such bias. Monotremes are an ancient lineage of egg-laying mammals with distinct biological properties, which include unique germline features. Here, we sought to assess the presence and potential characteristics of male mutation bias in platypus and the short-beaked echidna based on substitution rate analyses of X, Y, and autosomes. We established the presence of moderate male mutation bias in monotremes, corresponding to an α value of 2.12–3.69. Given that it has been unclear what proportion of the variation in substitution rates on the different chromosomal classes is really due to differential number of replications, we analyzed the influence of other confounding forces (selection, replication-timing, etc.) and found that male mutation bias is the main force explaining the between-chromosome classes differences in substitution rates. Finally, we estimated the proportion of variation at the gene level in substitution rates that is owing to replication effects and found that this phenomenon can explain >68% of these variations in monotremes, and in control species, rodents, and primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivian Link
- Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Laurence D Hurst
- The Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Somerset, United Kingdom
| | - Diego Cortez
- Center for Genomic Sciences, UNAM, Cuernavaca, México
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15
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Rohozinski J. Lineage-independent retrotransposition of UTP14 associated with male fertility has occurred multiple times throughout mammalian evolution. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:171049. [PMID: 29308242 PMCID: PMC5750009 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.171049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In mammals, gamete production is essential for reproductive success. This is particularly true for males where large quantities of sperm are produced to fertilize a limited number of eggs released by the female. Because of this, new genes associated with increased spermatogenic efficiency have been accumulating throughout the evolution of therian mammals. Many of these new genes are testis-specific retrotransposed copies of housekeeping genes located on the X chromosome. Of particular interest are retrotransposed copies of UTP14 that are present in many distantly related eutherian mammals. Analysis of genomic data available in ENSEMBL indicates that these UTP14 retrogenes have arisen independently in the various eutherian clades. They represent an interesting aspect of evolution whereby new homologues of UTP14 have become independently fixed in multiple mammalian lineages due to the reproductive advantage that may be conferred to males. Surprisingly, these genes may also be lost, even after being present within a lineage for millions of years. This phenomenon may potentially be used to delineate evolutionary trees in closely related groups of mammals, particularly in the case of South American primates. Studying these retrogenes will yield new insights into the evolutionary history of male gamete production and the phylogeny of eutherian mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Rohozinski
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, 391 Technology Way, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, USA
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Center for Reproductive Medicine and Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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16
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Casey AE, Daish TJ, Barbero JL, Grützner F. Differential cohesin loading marks paired and unpaired regions of platypus sex chromosomes at prophase I. Sci Rep 2017; 7:4217. [PMID: 28652620 PMCID: PMC5484699 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04560-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Cohesins are vital for chromosome organisation during meiosis and mitosis. In addition to the important function in sister chromatid cohesion, these complexes play key roles in meiotic recombination, DSB repair, homologous chromosome pairing and segregation. Egg-laying mammals (monotremes) feature an unusually complex sex chromosome system, which raises fundamental questions about organisation and segregation during meiosis. We discovered a dynamic and differential accumulation of cohesins on sex chromosomes during platypus prophase I and specific reorganisation of the sex chromosome complex around a large nucleolar body. Detailed analysis revealed a differential loading of SMC3 on the chromatin and chromosomal axis of XY shared regions compared with the chromatin and chromosomal axes of asynapsed X and Y regions during prophase I. At late prophase I, SMC3 accumulation is lost from both the chromatin and chromosome axes of the asynaptic regions of the chain and resolves into subnuclear compartments. This is the first report detailing unpaired DNA specific SMC3 accumulation during meiosis in any species and allows speculation on roles for cohesin in monotreme sex chromosome organisation and segregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron E Casey
- The Robinson Research Institute, School of Biological Sciences, the University of Adelaide, South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Tasman J Daish
- The Robinson Research Institute, School of Biological Sciences, the University of Adelaide, South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Jose Luis Barbero
- Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas (CSIC)/Ramiro de Maeztu, 9 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Frank Grützner
- The Robinson Research Institute, School of Biological Sciences, the University of Adelaide, South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
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17
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A. Richardson
- Public Library of Science, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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