RESUMEN
We show here that in the fungus Sordaria macrospora, the meiosis-specific HORMA-domain protein Hop1 is not essential for the basic early events of chromosome axis development, recombination initiation, or recombination-mediated homolog coalignment/pairing. In striking contrast, Hop1 plays a critical role at the leptotene/zygotene transition which is defined by transition from pairing to synaptonemal complex (SC) formation. During this transition, Hop1 is required for maintenance of normal axis structure, formation of SC from telomere to telomere, and development of recombination foci. These hop1Δ mutant defects are DSB dependent and require Sme4/Zip1-mediated progression of the interhomolog interaction program, potentially via a pre-SC role. The same phenotype occurs not only in hop1Δ but also in absence of the cohesin Rec8 and in spo76-1, a non-null mutant of cohesin-associated Spo76/Pds5. Thus, Hop1 and cohesins collaborate at this crucial step of meiotic prophase. In addition, analysis of 4 non-null mutants that lack this transition defect reveals that Hop1 also plays important roles in modulation of axis length, homolog-axis juxtaposition, interlock resolution, and spreading of the crossover interference signal. Finally, unexpected variations in crossover density point to the existence of effects that both enhance and limit crossover formation. Links to previously described roles of the protein in other organisms are discussed.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas Fúngicas , Sordariales , Complejo Sinaptonémico , Proteínas Fúngicas/metabolismo , Proteínas Fúngicas/genética , Sordariales/genética , Sordariales/metabolismo , Complejo Sinaptonémico/metabolismo , Meiosis , Profase Meiótica I , Profase , MutaciónRESUMEN
The multi-subunit Mediator complex plays a critical role in gene expression by bridging enhancer-bound transcription factors and the RNA polymerase II machinery. Although experimental case studies suggest differential roles of Mediator subunits, a comprehensive view of the specific set of genes regulated by individual subunits in a developing tissue is still missing. Here we address this fundamental question by focusing on the Med19 subunit and using the Drosophila wing imaginal disc as a developmental model. By coupling auxin-inducible degradation of endogenous Med19 in vivo with RNA-seq, we got access to the early consequences of Med19 elimination on gene expression. Differential gene expression analysis reveals that Med19 is not globally required for mRNA transcription but specifically regulates positively or negatively less than a quarter of the expressed genes. By crossing our transcriptomic data with those of Drosophila gene expression profile database, we found that Med19-dependent genes are highly enriched with spatially-regulated genes while the expression of most constitutively expressed genes is not affected upon Med19 loss. Whereas globally downregulation does not exceed upregulation, we identified a functional class of genes encoding spatially-regulated transcription factors, and more generally developmental regulators, responding unidirectionally to Med19 loss with an expression collapse. Moreover, we show in vivo that the Notch-responsive wingless and the E(spl)-C genes require Med19 for their expression. Combined with experimental evidences suggesting that Med19 could function as a direct transcriptional effector of Notch signaling, our data support a model in which Med19 plays a critical role in the transcriptional activation of developmental genes in response to cell signaling pathways.
Asunto(s)
Drosophila , Discos Imaginales , Animales , Drosophila/genética , Activación Transcripcional , ARN Polimerasa II , Factores de Transcripción/genéticaRESUMEN
Meiosis requires the formation of programmed DNA double strand breaks (DSBs), essential for fertility and for generating genetic diversity. DSBs are induced by the catalytic activity of the TOPOVIL complex formed by SPO11 and TOPOVIBL. To ensure genomic integrity, DNA cleavage activity is tightly regulated, and several accessory factors (REC114, MEI4, IHO1, and MEI1) are needed for DSB formation in mice. How and when these proteins act is not understood. Here, we show that REC114 is a direct partner of TOPOVIBL, and identify their conserved interacting domains by structural analysis. We then analyse the role of this interaction by monitoring meiotic DSBs in female and male mice carrying point mutations in TOPOVIBL that decrease or disrupt its binding to REC114. In these mutants, DSB activity is strongly reduced genome-wide in oocytes, and only in sub-telomeric regions in spermatocytes. In addition, in mutant spermatocytes, DSB activity is delayed in autosomes. These results suggest that REC114 is a key member of the TOPOVIL catalytic complex, and that the REC114/TOPOVIBL interaction ensures the efficiency and timing of DSB activity.
Asunto(s)
Roturas del ADN de Doble Cadena , Meiosis , Masculino , Femenino , Ratones , Animales , Meiosis/genética , Cromosomas , Espermatocitos , ADNRESUMEN
Type II DNA topoisomerases regulate topology by double-stranded DNA cleavage and ligation. The TopoVI family of DNA topoisomerase, first identified and biochemically characterized in Archaea, represents, with TopoVIII and mini-A, the type IIB family. TopoVI has several intriguing features in terms of function and evolution. TopoVI has been identified in some eukaryotes, and a global view is lacking to understand its evolutionary pattern. In addition, in eukaryotes, the two TopoVI subunits (TopoVIA and TopoVIB) have been duplicated and have evolved to give rise to Spo11 and TopoVIBL, forming TopoVI-like (TopoVIL), a complex essential for generating DNA breaks that initiate homologous recombination during meiosis. TopoVIL is essential for sexual reproduction. How the TopoVI subunits have evolved to ensure this meiotic function is unclear. Here, we investigated the phylogenetic conservation of TopoVI and TopoVIL. We demonstrate that BIN4 and RHL1, potentially interacting with TopoVIB, have co-evolved with TopoVI. Based on model structures, this observation supports the hypothesis for a role of TopoVI in decatenation of replicated chromatids and predicts that in eukaryotes the TopoVI catalytic complex includes BIN4 and RHL1. For TopoVIL, the phylogenetic analysis of Spo11, which is highly conserved among Eukarya, highlighted a eukaryal-specific N-terminal domain that may be important for its regulation. Conversely, TopoVIBL was poorly conserved, giving rise to ATP hydrolysis-mutated or -truncated protein variants, or was undetected in some species. This remarkable plasticity of TopoVIBL provides important information for the activity and function of TopoVIL during meiosis.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas Arqueales , ADN-Topoisomerasas de Tipo II , Filogenia , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , ADN-Topoisomerasas de Tipo II/química , ADN-Topoisomerasas de Tipo II/genética , ADN-Topoisomerasas de Tipo II/metabolismo , Proteínas Arqueales/química , Meiosis/genética , Eucariontes/genética , Eucariontes/metabolismoRESUMEN
Gene duplications and transcriptional enhancer emergence/modifications are thought having greatly contributed to phenotypic innovations during animal evolution. Nevertheless, little is known about how enhancers evolve after gene duplication and how regulatory information is rewired between duplicated genes. The Drosophila melanogaster bric-a-brac (bab) complex, comprising the tandem paralogous genes bab1 and bab2, provides a paradigm to address these issues. We previously characterized an intergenic enhancer (named LAE) regulating bab2 expression in the developing legs. We show here that bab2 regulators binding directly the LAE also govern bab1 expression in tarsal cells. LAE excision by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing reveals that this enhancer appears involved but not strictly required for bab1 and bab2 co-expression in leg tissues. Instead, the LAE enhancer is critical for paralog-specific bab2 expression along the proximo-distal leg axis. Chromatin features and phenotypic rescue experiments indicate that LAE functions partly redundantly with leg-specific regulatory information overlapping the bab1 transcription unit. Phylogenomics analyses indicate that (i) the bab complex originates from duplication of an ancestral singleton gene early on within the Cyclorrhapha dipteran sublineage, and (ii) LAE sequences have been evolutionarily-fixed early on within the Brachycera suborder thus predating the gene duplication event. This work provides new insights on enhancers, particularly about their emergence, maintenance and functional diversification during evolution.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas de Drosophila , Drosophila , Animales , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/metabolismo , Drosophila/genética , Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Drosophila melanogaster/genética , Drosophila melanogaster/metabolismo , Elementos de Facilitación Genéticos , Factores de Transcripción/genética , Factores de Transcripción/metabolismoRESUMEN
Meiotic recombination plays dual roles in the evolution and stable inheritance of genomes: Recombination promotes genetic diversity by reassorting variants, and it establishes temporary connections between pairs of homologous chromosomes that ensure their future segregation. Meiotic recombination is initiated by generation of double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) by the conserved topoisomerase-like protein Spo11. Despite strong conservation of Spo11 across eukaryotic kingdoms, auxiliary complexes that interact with Spo11 complexes to promote DSB formation are poorly conserved. Here, we identify DSB-3 as a DSB-promoting protein in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans Mutants lacking DSB-3 are proficient for homolog pairing and synapsis but fail to form crossovers. Lack of crossovers in dsb-3 mutants reflects a requirement for DSB-3 in meiotic DSB formation. DSB-3 concentrates in meiotic nuclei with timing similar to DSB-1 and DSB-2 (predicted homologs of yeast/mammalian Rec114/REC114), and DSB-1, DSB-2, and DSB-3 are interdependent for this localization. Bioinformatics analysis and interactions among the DSB proteins support the identity of DSB-3 as a homolog of MEI4 in conserved DSB-promoting complexes. This identification is reinforced by colocalization of pairwise combinations of DSB-1, DSB-2, and DSB-3 foci in structured illumination microscopy images of spread nuclei. However, unlike yeast Rec114, DSB-1 can interact directly with SPO-11, and in contrast to mouse REC114 and MEI4, DSB-1, DSB-2, and DSB-3 are not concentrated predominantly at meiotic chromosome axes. We speculate that variations in the meiotic program that have coevolved with distinct reproductive strategies in diverse organisms may contribute to and/or enable diversification of essential components of the meiotic machinery.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/química , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolismo , Caenorhabditis elegans/fisiología , Roturas del ADN de Doble Cadena , Meiosis/fisiología , Animales , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/genética , Biología Computacional , Ingeniería Genética , Genoma , Oocitos/efectos de la radiaciónRESUMEN
The evolutionarily conserved multiprotein Mediator complex (MED) serves as an interface between DNA-bound transcription factors (TFs) and the RNA Pol II machinery. It has been proposed that each TF interacts with a dedicated MED subunit to induce specific transcriptional responses. But are these binary partnerships sufficient to mediate TF functions? We have previously established that the Med1 Mediator subunit serves as a cofactor of GATA TFs in Drosophila, as shown in mammals. Here, we observe mutant phenotype similarities between another subunit, Med19, and the Drosophila GATA TF Pannier (Pnr), suggesting functional interaction. We further show that Med19 physically interacts with the Drosophila GATA TFs, Pnr and Serpent (Srp), in vivo and in vitro through their conserved C-zinc finger domains. Moreover, Med19 loss of function experiments in vivo or in cellulo indicate that it is required for Pnr- and Srp-dependent gene expression, suggesting general GATA cofactor functions. Interestingly, Med19 but not Med1 is critical for the regulation of all tested GATA target genes, implying shared or differential use of MED subunits by GATAs depending on the target gene. Lastly, we show a direct interaction between Med19 and Med1 by GST pulldown experiments indicating privileged contacts between these two subunits of the MED middle module. Together, these findings identify Med19/Med1 as a composite GATA TF interface and suggest that binary MED subunit-TF partnerships are probably oversimplified models. We propose several mechanisms to account for the transcriptional regulation of GATA-targeted genes.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Factores de Transcripción GATA/metabolismo , Complejo Mediador/metabolismo , Animales , Sitios de Unión , Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Drosophila melanogaster , Factores de Transcripción GATA/genética , Regulación de la Expresión Génica/genéticaRESUMEN
Dysregulation of CDK8 (Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 8) and its regulatory partner CycC (Cyclin C), two subunits of the conserved Mediator (MED) complex, have been linked to diverse human diseases such as cancer. Thus, it is essential to understand the regulatory network modulating the CDK8-CycC complex in both normal development and tumorigenesis. To identify upstream regulators or downstream effectors of CDK8, we performed a dominant modifier genetic screen in Drosophila based on the defects in vein patterning caused by specific depletion or overexpression of CDK8 or CycC in developing wing imaginal discs. We identified 26 genomic loci whose haploinsufficiency can modify these CDK8- or CycC-specific phenotypes. Further analysis of two overlapping deficiency lines and mutant alleles led us to identify genetic interactions between the CDK8-CycC pair and the components of the Decapentaplegic (Dpp, the Drosophila homolog of TGFß, or Transforming Growth Factor-ß) signaling pathway. We observed that CDK8-CycC positively regulates transcription activated by Mad (Mothers against dpp), the primary transcription factor downstream of the Dpp/TGFß signaling pathway. CDK8 can directly interact with Mad in vitro through the linker region between the DNA-binding MH1 (Mad homology 1) domain and the carboxy terminal MH2 (Mad homology 2) transactivation domain. Besides CDK8 and CycC, further analyses of other subunits of the MED complex have revealed six additional subunits that are required for Mad-dependent transcription in the wing discs: Med12, Med13, Med15, Med23, Med24, and Med31. Furthermore, our analyses confirmed the positive roles of CDK9 and Yorkie in regulating Mad-dependent gene expression in vivo. These results suggest that CDK8 and CycC, together with a few other subunits of the MED complex, may coordinate with other transcription cofactors in regulating Mad-dependent transcription during wing development in Drosophila.
Asunto(s)
Ciclina C/genética , Quinasa 8 Dependiente de Ciclina/genética , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/metabolismo , Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Factores de Transcripción/metabolismo , Animales , Ciclina C/metabolismo , Quinasa 8 Dependiente de Ciclina/metabolismo , Drosophila , Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica , Haploinsuficiencia , Discos Imaginales/crecimiento & desarrollo , Discos Imaginales/metabolismo , Transducción de Señal , Transcripción GenéticaRESUMEN
DNA-bound transcription factors (TFs) governing developmental gene regulation have been proposed to recruit polymerase II machinery at gene promoters through specific interactions with dedicated subunits of the evolutionarily conserved Mediator (MED) complex. However, whether such MED subunit-specific functions and partnerships have been conserved during evolution has been poorly investigated. To address this issue, we generated the first Drosophila melanogaster loss-of-function mutants for Med1, known as a specific cofactor for GATA TFs and hormone nuclear receptors in mammals. We show that Med1 is required for cell proliferation and hematopoietic differentiation depending on the GATA TF Serpent (Srp). Med1 physically binds Srp in cultured cells and in vitro through its conserved GATA zinc finger DNA-binding domain and the divergent Med1 C terminus. Interestingly, GATA-Srp interaction occurs through the longest Med1 isoform, suggesting a functional diversity of MED complex populations. Furthermore, we show that Med1 acts as a coactivator for the GATA factor Pannier during thoracic development. In conclusion, the Med1 requirement for GATA-dependent regulatory processes is a common feature in insects and mammals, although binding interfaces have diverged. Further work in Drosophila should bring valuable insights to fully understand GATA-MED functional partnerships, which probably involve other MED subunits depending on the cellular context.
Asunto(s)
Subunidad 1 del Complejo Mediador/metabolismo , Complejo Mediador/metabolismo , Animales , Diferenciación Celular , Núcleo Celular/metabolismo , Proliferación Celular , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Drosophila melanogaster/metabolismo , Factores de Transcripción GATA/metabolismo , Factor de Transcripción GATA1/metabolismo , Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica/genética , Mutación con Pérdida de Función , Subunidad 1 del Complejo Mediador/genética , Receptores Citoplasmáticos y Nucleares/metabolismo , Factores de Transcripción/metabolismoRESUMEN
Proper embryonic development relies on a tight control of spatial and temporal gene expression profiles in a highly regulated manner. One good example is the ON/OFF switching of the transcription factor PAX6 that governs important steps of neurogenesis. In the neural tube PAX6 expression is initiated in neural progenitors through the positive action of retinoic acid signaling and downregulated in neuronal precursors by the bHLH transcription factor NEUROG2. How these two regulatory inputs are integrated at the molecular level to properly fine tune temporal PAX6 expression is not known. In this study we identified and characterized a 940-bp long distal cis-regulatory module (CRM), located far away from the PAX6 transcription unit and which conveys positive input from RA signaling pathway and indirect repressive signal(s) from NEUROG2. These opposing regulatory signals are integrated through HOMZ, a 94â¯bp core region within E940 which is evolutionarily conserved in distant organisms such as the zebrafish. We show that within HOMZ, NEUROG2 and RA exert their opposite temporal activities through a short 60â¯bp region containing a functional RA-responsive element (RARE). We propose a model in which retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and NEUROG2 repressive target(s) compete on the same DNA motif to fine tune temporal PAX6 expression during the course of spinal neurogenesis.
Asunto(s)
Elementos de Facilitación Genéticos/genética , Tubo Neural/metabolismo , Neurogénesis/genética , Factor de Transcripción PAX6/metabolismo , Animales , Factores de Transcripción con Motivo Hélice-Asa-Hélice Básico/metabolismo , Embrión de Pollo , Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica , Inmunohistoquímica , Hibridación in Situ , Ratones , Proteínas del Tejido Nervioso/metabolismo , Tubo Neural/embriología , Receptores de Ácido Retinoico/metabolismo , Transducción de Señal/fisiología , Pez CebraRESUMEN
Meiosis is the cellular program by which a diploid cell gives rise to haploid gametes for sexual reproduction. Meiotic progression depends on tight physical and functional coupling of recombination steps at the DNA level with specific organizational features of meiotic-prophase chromosomes. The present study reveals that every step of this coupling is mediated by a single molecule: Asy2/Mer2. We show that Mer2, identified so far only in budding and fission yeasts, is in fact evolutionarily conserved from fungi (Mer2/Rec15/Asy2/Bad42) to plants (PRD3/PAIR1) and mammals (IHO1). In yeasts, Mer2 mediates assembly of recombination-initiation complexes and double-strand breaks (DSBs). This role is conserved in the fungus Sordaria However, functional analysis of 13 mer2 mutants and successive localization of Mer2 to axis, synaptonemal complex (SC), and chromatin revealed, in addition, three further important functions. First, after DSB formation, Mer2 is required for pairing by mediating homolog spatial juxtaposition, with implications for crossover (CO) patterning/interference. Second, Mer2 participates in the transfer/maintenance and release of recombination complexes to/from the SC central region. Third, after completion of recombination, potentially dependent on SUMOylation, Mer2 mediates global chromosome compaction and post-recombination chiasma development. Thus, beyond its role as a recombinosome-axis/SC linker molecule, Mer2 has important functions in relation to basic chromosome structure.
Asunto(s)
Emparejamiento Cromosómico/genética , Proteínas Fúngicas/metabolismo , Recombinación Homóloga/genética , Meiosis/genética , Sordariales/genética , Sumoilación/genética , Complejo Sinaptonémico/metabolismo , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Cromatina/metabolismo , Secuencia Conservada , Roturas del ADN de Doble Cadena , Evolución Molecular , Proteínas Fúngicas/química , Proteínas Fúngicas/genética , Dominios Proteicos , Sordariales/metabolismo , Complejo Sinaptonémico/genéticaRESUMEN
Polycomb (PcG) and Trithorax (TrxG) group proteins are evolutionarily conserved chromatin-modifying factors originally identified as part of an epigenetic cellular memory system that maintains repressed or active gene expression states. Recently, they have been shown to globally control a plethora of cellular processes. This functional diversity is achieved by their ability to regulate chromatin at multiple levels, ranging from modifying local chromatin structure to orchestrating the three-dimensional organization of the genome. Understanding this system is a fascinating challenge of critical relevance for biology and medicine, since misexpression or mutation of multiple PcG components, as well as of TrxG members of the COMPASS family and of the SWI/SNF complex, is implicated in cancer and other diseases.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas Cromosómicas no Histona/metabolismo , Regulación de la Expresión Génica , Proteínas del Grupo Polycomb/metabolismo , Animales , Proteínas Cromosómicas no Histona/historia , Células Madre Embrionarias/metabolismo , Genoma , Historia del Siglo XX , Historia del Siglo XXI , Humanos , Neoplasias/metabolismo , Proteínas del Grupo Polycomb/historiaRESUMEN
Drosophila leg morphogenesis occurs under the control of a relatively well-known genetic cascade, which mobilizes both cell signaling pathways and tissue-specific transcription factors. However, their cross-regulatory interactions, deployed to refine leg patterning, remain poorly characterized at the gene expression level. Within the genetically interacting landscape that governs limb development, the bric-à-brac2 (bab2) gene is required for distal leg segmentation. We have previously shown that the Distal-less (Dll) homeodomain and Rotund (Rn) zinc-finger activating transcription factors control limb-specific bab2 expression by binding directly a single critical leg/antennal enhancer (LAE) within the bric-à-brac locus. By genetic and molecular analyses, we show here that the EGFR-responsive C15 homeodomain and the Notch-regulated Bowl zinc-finger transcription factors also interact directly with the LAE enhancer as a repressive duo. The appendage patterning gene bab2 is the first identified direct target of the Bowl repressor, an Odd-skipped/Osr family member. Moreover, we show that C15 acts on LAE activity independently of its regular partner, the Aristaless homeoprotein. Instead, we find that C15 interacts physically with the Dll activator through contacts between their homeodomain and binds competitively with Dll to adjacent cognate sites on LAE, adding potential new layers of regulation by C15. Lastly, we show that C15 and Bowl activities regulate also rn expression. Our findings shed light on how the concerted action of two transcriptional repressors, in response to cell signaling inputs, shapes and refines gene expression along the limb proximo-distal axis in a timely manner.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Drosophila melanogaster/genética , Endopeptidasas/genética , Proteínas de Homeodominio/genética , Morfogénesis/genética , Proteínas Represoras/genética , Factores de Transcripción/genética , Animales , Sitios de Unión , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/biosíntesis , Proteínas de Drosophila/biosíntesis , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Drosophila melanogaster/crecimiento & desarrollo , Endopeptidasas/biosíntesis , Elementos de Facilitación Genéticos , Receptores ErbB/genética , Extremidades/crecimiento & desarrollo , Proteínas de Homeodominio/metabolismo , Especificidad de Órganos/genética , Unión Proteica , Receptores de Péptidos de Invertebrados/genética , Proteínas Represoras/biosíntesis , Transducción de Señal , Factores de Transcripción/biosíntesis , Factores de Transcripción/metabolismoRESUMEN
Hox genes in species across the metazoa encode transcription factors (TFs) containing highly-conserved homeodomains that bind target DNA sequences to regulate batteries of developmental target genes. DNA-bound Hox proteins, together with other TF partners, induce an appropriate transcriptional response by RNA Polymerase II (PolII) and its associated general transcription factors. How the evolutionarily conserved Hox TFs interface with this general machinery to generate finely regulated transcriptional responses remains obscure. One major component of the PolII machinery, the Mediator (MED) transcription complex, is composed of roughly 30 protein subunits organized in modules that bridge the PolII enzyme to DNA-bound TFs. Here, we investigate the physical and functional interplay between Drosophila melanogaster Hox developmental TFs and MED complex proteins. We find that the Med19 subunit directly binds Hox homeodomains, in vitro and in vivo. Loss-of-function Med19 mutations act as dose-sensitive genetic modifiers that synergistically modulate Hox-directed developmental outcomes. Using clonal analysis, we identify a role for Med19 in Hox-dependent target gene activation. We identify a conserved, animal-specific motif that is required for Med19 homeodomain binding, and for activation of a specific Ultrabithorax target. These results provide the first direct molecular link between Hox homeodomain proteins and the general PolII machinery. They support a role for Med19 as a PolII holoenzyme-embedded "co-factor" that acts together with Hox proteins through their homeodomains in regulated developmental transcription.
Asunto(s)
Drosophila melanogaster/genética , Proteínas de Homeodominio/metabolismo , Complejo Mediador/metabolismo , ARN Polimerasa II/metabolismo , Animales , Sitios de Unión , Unión ProteicaRESUMEN
Most identified Drosophila appendage-patterning genes encode DNA-binding proteins, whose cross-regulatory interactions remain to be better characterized at the molecular level, notably by studying their direct binding to tissue-specific transcriptional enhancers. A fine-tuned spatio-temporal expression of bric-a-brac2 (bab2) along concentric rings is essential for proper proximo-distal (P-D) differentiation of legs and antennae. However, within the genetic interaction landscape governing limb development, no transcription factor directly controlling bab2 expression has been identified to date. Using site-targeted GFP reporter assay and BAC recombineering, we show here that restricted bab2 expression in leg and antennal imaginal discs relies on a single 567-bp-long cis-regulatory module (CRM), termed LAE (for leg and antennal enhancer). We show that this CRM (i) is necessary and sufficient to ensure normal bab2 activity in developing leg and antenna, and (ii) is structurally and functionally conserved among Drosophilidae. Through deletion and site-directed mutagenesis approaches, we identified within the LAE essential sequence motifs required in both leg and antennal tissues. Using genetic and biochemical tests, we establish that in the LAE (i) a key TAAT-rich activator motif interacts with the homeodomain P-D protein Distal-less (Dll) and (ii) a single T-rich activator motif binds the C2H2 zinc-finger P-D protein Rotund (Rn), leading to bab2 up-regulation respectively in all or specifically in the proximal-most ring(s), both in leg and antenna. Joint ectopic expression of Dll and Rn is sufficient to cell-autonomously activate endogenous bab2 and LAE-driven reporter expression in wing and haltere cells. Our findings indicate that accuracy, reliability and robustness of developmental gene expression do not necessarily require cis-regulatory information redundancy.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Drosophila melanogaster/genética , Proteínas de Homeodominio/genética , Morfogénesis/genética , Factores de Transcripción/genética , Animales , Tipificación del Cuerpo , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Drosophila melanogaster/crecimiento & desarrollo , Elementos de Facilitación Genéticos , Extremidades/crecimiento & desarrollo , Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica , Proteínas de Insectos/genética , Mutagénesis Sitio-Dirigida , Factores de Transcripción/metabolismo , Alas de Animales/crecimiento & desarrolloRESUMEN
The posterior signalling centre (PSC), a small group of specialised cells, controls hemocyte (blood cell) homeostasis in the Drosophila larval hematopoietic organ, the lymph gland. This role of the PSC is very reminiscent of the "niche," the micro-environment of hematopoietic stem cells in vertebrates. We have recently shown that the PSC acts in a non-cell-autonomous manner to maintain janus tyrosine kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK/STAT) signalling in hematopoietic progenitors (prohemocytes), thereby preserving the multipotent character necessary for their differentiation into lamellocytes, a cryptic and dedicated immune cell type required to fight specific immune threats such as wasp parasitism. In this report, on the basis of a knock out generated by homologous recombination, we show that a short type I cytokine-related receptor CG14225/Latran is required for switching off JAK/STAT signalling in prohemocytes. This is a prerequisite to massive differentiation of lamellocytes upon wasp parasitisation. In vivo and cell culture assays indicate that Latran forms heteromers with Domeless, the Drosophila type I cytokine signalling receptor related to mammalian GP130, and antagonises Domeless activity in a dose-dependent manner. Our analysis further shows that a primary immune response to wasp parasitism is a strong decrease in cytokine mRNA levels in the lymph gland, followed by an increase in the latran/domeless ratio. We propose that this sequence of events culminates in the complete inhibition of residual JAK/STAT signalling by Latran. JAK/STAT activity has been associated with several human diseases including leukaemia while knock-out studies in mice point to a central role of this pathway in hematopoiesis and regulation of immune functions. The specific function of Drosophila Latran is, to our knowledge, the first in vivo example of a role for a nonsignalling receptor in controlling a dedicated immune response, and thus raises the question of whether short, nonsignalling receptors also control specific aspects of vertebrate cellular immunity.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas de Unión al ADN/metabolismo , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Drosophila melanogaster/inmunología , Hemocitos/inmunología , Quinasas Janus/metabolismo , Factores de Transcripción STAT/metabolismo , Transducción de Señal , Animales , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Regulación hacia Abajo , Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Drosophila melanogaster/genética , Drosophila melanogaster/metabolismo , Hemocitos/metabolismo , Homeostasis , Inmunidad Celular , Quinasas Janus/genética , Factores de Transcripción STAT/genética , Avispas/fisiologíaRESUMEN
Meiotic recombination is initiated by the programmed induction of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) catalyzed by the evolutionarily conserved Spo11 protein. Studies in yeast have shown that DSB formation requires several other proteins, the role and conservation of which remain unknown. Here we show that two of these Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteins, Mei4 and Rec114, are evolutionarily conserved in most eukaryotes. Mei4(-/-) mice are deficient in meiotic DSB formation, thus showing the functional conservation of Mei4 in mice. Cytological analyses reveal that, in mice, MEI4 is localized in discrete foci on the axes of meiotic chromosomes that do not overlap with DMC1 and RPA foci. We thus propose that MEI4 acts as a structural component of the DSB machinery that ensures meiotic DSB formation on chromosome axes. We show that mouse MEI4 and REC114 proteins interact directly, and we identify conserved motifs as required for this interaction. Finally, the unexpected, concomitant absence of Mei4 and Rec114, as well as of Mnd1, Hop2, and Dmc1, in some eukaryotic species (particularly Neurospora crassa, Drosophila melanogaster, and Caenorhabditis elegans) suggests the existence of Mei4-Rec114-dependent and Mei4-Rec114-independent mechanisms for DSB formation, and a functional relationship between the chromosome axis and DSB formation.
Asunto(s)
Roturas del ADN de Doble Cadena , Meiosis , Proteínas Nucleares/genética , Proteínas Nucleares/metabolismo , Proteínas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genética , Proteínas de Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolismo , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligasas/genética , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligasas/metabolismo , Secuencias de Aminoácidos , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Animales , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular , Cromosomas , Secuencia Conservada , Eucariontes/genética , Evolución Molecular , Femenino , Regulación de la Expresión Génica , Humanos , Masculino , Ratones , Ratones Noqueados , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Recombinasas/metabolismo , Recombinación Genética , Alineación de Secuencia , Complejo Sinaptonémico/metabolismoRESUMEN
Transcription factors of the RUNX and GATA families play key roles in the control of cell fate choice and differentiation, notably in the hematopoietic system. During Drosophila hematopoiesis, the RUNX factor Lozenge and the GATA factor Serpent cooperate to induce crystal cell differentiation. We used Serpent/Lozenge-activated transcription as a paradigm to identify modulators of GATA/RUNX activity by a genome-wide RNA interference screen in cultured Drosophila blood cells. Among the 129 factors identified, several belong to the Mediator complex. Mediator is organized in three modules plus a regulatory "CDK8 module," composed of Med12, Med13, CycC, and Cdk8, which has long been thought to behave as a single functional entity. Interestingly, our data demonstrate that Med12 and Med13 but not CycC or Cdk8 are essential for Serpent/Lozenge-induced transactivation in cell culture. Furthermore, our in vivo analysis of crystal cell development show that, while the four CDK8 module subunits control the emergence and the proliferation of this lineage, only Med12 and Med13 regulate its differentiation. We thus propose that Med12/Med13 acts as a coactivator for Serpent/Lozenge during crystal cell differentiation independently of CycC/Cdk8. More generally, we suggest that the set of conserved factors identified herein may regulate GATA/RUNX activity in mammals.
Asunto(s)
Quinasa 8 Dependiente de Ciclina/metabolismo , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/metabolismo , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Factores de Transcripción GATA/metabolismo , Complejo Mediador/metabolismo , Subunidades de Proteína/metabolismo , Interferencia de ARN , Factores de Transcripción/metabolismo , Animales , Diferenciación Celular/fisiología , Células Cultivadas , Quinasa 8 Dependiente de Ciclina/genética , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Drosophila melanogaster/citología , Drosophila melanogaster/genética , Drosophila melanogaster/metabolismo , Factores de Transcripción GATA/genética , Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica , Genoma , Hematopoyesis/fisiología , Ensayos Analíticos de Alto Rendimiento/métodos , Complejo Mediador/genética , Mapeo de Interacción de Proteínas , Subunidades de Proteína/genética , Factores de Transcripción/genéticaRESUMEN
The multisubunit Mediator (MED) complex bridges DNA-bound transcriptional regulators to the RNA polymerase II (PolII) initiation machinery. In yeast, the 25 MED subunits are distributed within three core subcomplexes and a separable kinase module composed of Med12, Med13 and the Cdk8-CycC pair thought to control the reversible interaction between MED and PolII by phosphorylating repeated heptapeptides within the Rpb1 carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD). Here, MED conservation has been investigated across the eukaryotic kingdom. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Med2, Med3/Pgd1 and Med5/Nut1 subunits are apparent homologs of metazoan Med29/Intersex, Med27/Crsp34 and Med24/Trap100, respectively, and these and other 30 identified human MED subunits have detectable counterparts in the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, indicating that none is specific to metazoans. Indeed, animal/fungal subunits are also conserved in plants, green and red algae, entamoebids, oomycetes, diatoms, apicomplexans, ciliates and the 'deep-branching' protists Trichomonas vaginalis and Giardia lamblia. Surprisingly, although lacking CTD heptads, T. vaginalis displays 44 MED subunit homologs, including several CycC, Med12 and Med13 paralogs. Such observations have allowed the identification of a conserved 17-subunit framework around which peripheral subunits may be assembled, and support a very ancient eukaryotic origin for a large, four-module MED. The implications of this comprehensive work for MED structure-function relationships are discussed.
Asunto(s)
Evolución Molecular , Factores de Transcripción/química , Secuencias de Aminoácidos , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Animales , Secuencia Conservada , Quinasas Ciclina-Dependientes/metabolismo , ADN Polimerasa II/química , Proteínas Fúngicas/química , Eliminación de Gen , Duplicación de Gen , Genómica , Humanos , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Estructura Terciaria de Proteína , Subunidades de Proteína/química , Homología de Secuencia de Aminoácido , Transducción de Señal , Especificidad de la Especie , Factores de Transcripción/genéticaRESUMEN
Mediator (MED) is a conserved multisubunit complex bridging transcriptional activators and repressors to the general RNA polymerase II initiation machinery. In yeast, MED is organized in three core modules and a separable 'Cdk8 module' consisting of the cyclin-dependent kinase Cdk8, its partner CycC, Med12 and Med13. This regulatory module, specifically required for cellular adaptation to environmental cues, is thought to act through the Cdk8 kinase activity. Here we have investigated the functions of the four Cdk8 module subunits in the metazoan model Drosophila. Physical interactions detected among the four fly subunits provide support for a structurally conserved Cdk8 module. We analyzed the in vivo functions of this module using null mutants for Cdk8, CycC, Med12 and Med13. Each gene is required for the viability of the organism but not of the cell. Cdk8-CycC and Med12-Med13 act as pairs, which share some functions but also have distinct roles in developmental gene regulation. These data reveal functional attributes of the Cdk8 module, apart from its regulated kinase activity, that may contribute to the diversification of genetic programs.