Point Mutations in Centromeric Histone Induce Post-zygotic Incompatibility and Uniparental Inheritance.

The centromeric histone 3 variant (CENH3, aka CENP-A) is essential for the segregation of sister chromatids during mitosis and meiosis. To better define CENH3 functional constraints, we complemented a null allele in Arabidopsis with a variety of mutant alleles, each inducing a single amino acid change in conserved residues of the histone fold domain. Many of these transgenic missense lines displayed wild-type growth and fertility on self-pollination, but exhibited frequent post-zygotic death and uniparental inheritance when crossed with wild-type plants. The failure of centromeres marked by these missense mutation in the histone fold domain of CENH3 reproduces the genome elimination syndromes described with chimeric CENH3 and CENH3 from diverged species. Additionally, evidence that a single point mutation is sufficient to generate a haploid inducer provide a simple one-step method for the identification of non-transgenic haploid inducers in existing mutagenized collections of crop species. As proof of the extreme simplicity of this approach to create haploid-inducing lines, we performed an in silico search for previously identified point mutations in CENH3 and identified an Arabidopsis line carrying the A86V substitution within the histone fold domain. This A87V non-transgenic line, while fully fertile on self-pollination, produced postzygotic death and uniparental haploids when crossed to wild type.

Naturally occurring differences in CENH3 affect chromosome segregation in zygotic mitosis of hybrids.

The point of attachment of spindle microtubules to metaphase chromosomes is known as the centromere. Plant and animal centromeres are epigenetically specified by a centromere-specific variant of Histone H3, CENH3 (a.k.a. CENP-A). Unlike canonical histones that are invariant, CENH3 proteins are accumulating substitutions at an accelerated rate. This diversification of CENH3 is a conundrum since its role as the key determinant of centromere identity remains a constant across species. Here, we ask whether naturally occurring divergence in CENH3 has functional consequences. We performed functional complementation assays on cenh3-1, a null mutation in Arabidopsis thaliana, using untagged CENH3s from increasingly distant relatives. Contrary to previous results using GFP-tagged CENH3, we find that the essential functions of CENH3 are conserved across a broad evolutionary landscape. CENH3 from a species as distant as the monocot Zea mays can functionally replace A. thaliana CENH3. Plants expressing variant CENH3s that are fertile when selfed show dramatic segregation errors when crossed to a wild-type individual. The progeny of this cross include hybrid diploids, aneuploids with novel genetic rearrangements and haploids that inherit only the genome of the wild-type parent. Importantly, it is always chromosomes from the plant expressing the divergent CENH3 that missegregate. Using chimeras, we show that it is divergence in the fast-evolving N-terminal tail of CENH3 that is causing segregation errors and genome elimination. Furthermore, we analyzed N-terminal tail sequences from plant CENH3s and discovered a modular pattern of sequence conservation. From this we hypothesize that while the essential functions of CENH3 are largely conserved, the N-terminal tail is evolving to adapt to lineage-specific centromeric constraints. Our results demonstrate that this lineage-specific evolution of CENH3 causes inviability and sterility of progeny in crosses, at the same time producing karyotypic variation. Thus, CENH3 evolution can contribute to postzygotic reproductive barriers.

Haploid plants produced by centromere-mediated genome elimination.

Production of haploid plants that inherit chromosomes from only one parent can greatly accelerate plant breeding. Haploids generated from a heterozygous individual and converted to diploid create instant homozygous lines, bypassing generations of inbreeding. Two methods are generally used to produce haploids. First, cultured gametophyte cells may be regenerated into haploid plants, but many species and genotypes are recalcitrant to this process. Second, haploids can be induced from rare interspecific crosses, in which one parental genome is eliminated after fertilization. The molecular basis for genome elimination is not understood, but one theory posits that centromeres from the two parent species interact unequally with the mitotic spindle, causing selective chromosome loss. Here we show that haploid Arabidopsis thaliana plants can be easily generated through seeds by manipulating a single centromere protein, the centromere-specific histone CENH3 (called CENP-A in human). When cenh3 null mutants expressing altered CENH3 proteins are crossed to wild type, chromosomes from the mutant are eliminated, producing haploid progeny. Haploids are spontaneously converted into fertile diploids through meiotic non-reduction, allowing their genotype to be perpetuated. Maternal and paternal haploids can be generated through reciprocal crosses. We have also exploited centromere-mediated genome elimination to convert a natural tetraploid Arabidopsis into a diploid, reducing its ploidy to simplify breeding. As CENH3 is universal in eukaryotes, our method may be extended to produce haploids in any plant species.

Rapid creation of Arabidopsis doubled haploid lines for quantitative trait locus mapping.

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping is a powerful tool for investigating the genetic basis of natural variation. QTL can be mapped using a number of different population designs, but recombinant inbred lines (RILs) are among the most effective. Unfortunately, homozygous RIL populations are time consuming to construct, typically requiring at least six generations of selfing starting from a heterozygous F(1). Haploid plants produced from an F(1) combine the two parental genomes and have only one allele at every locus. Converting these sterile haploids into fertile diploids (termed "doubled haploids," DHs) produces immortal homozygous lines in only two steps. Here we describe a unique technique for rapidly creating recombinant doubled haploid populations in Arabidopsis thaliana: centromere-mediated genome elimination. We generated a population of 238 doubled haploid lines that combine two parental genomes and genotyped them by reduced representation Illumina sequencing. The recombination rate and parental allele frequencies in our population are similar to those found in existing RIL sets. We phenotyped this population for traits related to flowering time and for petiole length and successfully mapped QTL controlling each trait. Our work demonstrates that doubled haploid populations offer a rapid, easy alternative to RILs for Arabidopsis genetic analysis.

Meiosis-specific loading of the centromere-specific histone CENH3 in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Centromere behavior is specialized in meiosis I, so that sister chromatids of homologous chromosomes are pulled toward the same side of the spindle (through kinetochore mono-orientation) and chromosome number is reduced. Factors required for mono-orientation have been identified in yeast. However, comparatively little is known about how meiotic centromere behavior is specialized in animals and plants that typically have large tandem repeat centromeres. Kinetochores are nucleated by the centromere-specific histone CENH3. Unlike conventional histone H3s, CENH3 is rapidly evolving, particularly in its N-terminal tail domain. Here we describe chimeric variants of CENH3 with alterations in the N-terminal tail that are specifically defective in meiosis. Arabidopsis thaliana cenh3 mutants expressing a GFP-tagged chimeric protein containing the H3 N-terminal tail and the CENH3 C-terminus (termed GFP-tailswap) are sterile because of random meiotic chromosome segregation. These defects result from the specific depletion of GFP-tailswap protein from meiotic kinetochores, which contrasts with its normal localization in mitotic cells. Loss of the GFP-tailswap CENH3 variant in meiosis affects recruitment of the essential kinetochore protein MIS12. Our findings suggest that CENH3 loading dynamics might be regulated differently in mitosis and meiosis. As further support for our hypothesis, we show that GFP-tailswap protein is recruited back to centromeres in a subset of pollen grains in GFP-tailswap once they resume haploid mitosis. Meiotic recruitment of the GFP-tailswap CENH3 variant is not restored by removal of the meiosis-specific cohesin subunit REC8. Our results reveal the existence of a specialized loading pathway for CENH3 during meiosis that is likely to involve the hypervariable N-terminal tail. Meiosis-specific CENH3 dynamics may play a role in modulating meiotic centromere behavior.

Holocentric chromosomes: convergent evolution, meiotic adaptations, and genomic analysis.

In most eukaryotes, the kinetochore protein complex assembles at a single locus termed the centromere to attach chromosomes to spindle microtubules. Holocentric chromosomes have the unusual property of attaching to spindle microtubules along their entire length. Our mechanistic understanding of holocentric chromosome function is derived largely from studies in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, but holocentric chromosomes are found over a broad range of animal and plant species. In this review, we describe how holocentricity may be identified through cytological and molecular methods. By surveying the diversity of organisms with holocentric chromosomes, we estimate that the trait has arisen at least 13 independent times (four times in plants and at least nine times in animals). Holocentric chromosomes have inherent problems in meiosis because bivalents can attach to spindles in a random fashion. Interestingly, there are several solutions that have evolved to allow accurate meiotic segregation of holocentric chromosomes. Lastly, we describe how extensive genome sequencing and experiments in nonmodel organisms may allow holocentric chromosomes to shed light on general principles of chromosome segregation.

Plant genetics: increased outcrossing in hothead mutants.

Arising from: S. J. Lolle, J. L. Victor, J. M. Young & R. E. Pruitt 434, 505-509 (2005); Lolle et al. reply. Lolle et al. report that loss-of-function alleles of the HOTHEAD (HTH) gene in Arabidopsis thaliana are genetically unstable, giving rise to wild-type revertants. On the basis of the reversion of many other genetic markers in hth plants, they suggested a model in which a cache of extragenomic information could cause genes to revert to the genotype of previous generations. In our attempts to reproduce this phenomenon, we discovered that hth mutants show a marked tendency to outcross (unlike wild-type A. thaliana, which is almost exclusively self-fertilizing). Moreover, when hth plants are grown in isolation, their genetic inheritance is completely stable. These results may provide an alternative explanation for the genome wide non-mendelian inheritance reported by Lolle et al.

Epigenetically mismatched parental centromeres trigger genome elimination in hybrids.

Wide crosses result in postzygotic elimination of one parental chromosome set, but the mechanisms that result in such differential fate are poorly understood. Here, we show that alterations of centromeric histone H3 (CENH3) lead to its selective removal from centromeres of mature Arabidopsis eggs and early zygotes, while wild-type CENH3 persists. In the hybrid zygotes and embryos, CENH3 and essential centromere proteins load preferentially on the CENH3-rich centromeres of the wild-type parent, while CENH3-depleted centromeres fail to reconstitute new CENH3-chromatin and the kinetochore and are frequently lost. Genome elimination is opposed by E3 ubiquitin ligase VIM1. We propose a model based on cooperative binding of CENH3 to chromatin to explain the differential CENH3 loading rates. Thus, parental CENH3 polymorphisms result in epigenetically distinct centromeres that instantiate a strong mating barrier and produce haploids.

Inputs and outputs for chromatin-targeted RNAi.

Plant gene silencing is targeted to transposons and repeated sequences by small RNAs from the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. Like classical RNAi, RNA-directed chromatin silencing involves the cleavage of double-stranded RNA by Dicer endonucleases to create small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which bind to the Argonaute protein. The production of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) must be carefully controlled to prevent inappropriate silencing. A plant-specific RNA polymerase IV (Pol IV) initiates siRNA production at silent heterochromatin, but Pol IV-independent mechanisms for making dsRNA also exist. Downstream of siRNA biogenesis, multiple chromatin marks might be targeted by Argonaute-siRNA complexes, yet mechanisms of chromatin modification remain poorly understood. Genomic studies of siRNA target loci promise to reveal novel biological functions for chromatin-targeted RNAi.

Two-step recruitment of RNA-directed DNA methylation to tandem repeats.

Tandem repeat sequences are frequently associated with gene silencing phenomena. The Arabidopsis thaliana FWA gene contains two tandem repeats and is an efficient target for RNA-directed de novo DNA methylation when it is transformed into plants. We showed that the FWA tandem repeats are necessary and sufficient for de novo DNA methylation and that repeated character rather than intrinsic sequence is likely important. Endogenous FWA can adopt either of two stable epigenetic states: methylated and silenced or unmethylated and active. Surprisingly, we found small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) associated with FWA in both states. Despite this, only the methylated form of endogenous FWA could recruit further RNA-directed DNA methylation or cause efficient de novo methylation of transgenic FWA. This suggests that RNA-directed DNA methylation occurs in two steps: first, the initial recruitment of the siRNA-producing machinery, and second, siRNA-directed DNA methylation either in cis or in trans. The efficiency of this second step varies depending on the nature of the siRNA-producing locus, and at some loci, it may require pre-existing chromatin modifications such as DNA methylation itself. Enhancement of RNA-directed DNA methylation by pre-existing DNA methylation could create a self-reinforcing system to enhance the stability of silencing. Tandem repeats throughout the Arabidopsis genome produce siRNAs, suggesting that repeat acquisition may be a general mechanism for the evolution of gene silencing.

RNAi, DRD1, and histone methylation actively target developmentally important non-CG DNA methylation in arabidopsis.

Cytosine DNA methylation protects eukaryotic genomes by silencing transposons and harmful DNAs, but also regulates gene expression during normal development. Loss of CG methylation in the Arabidopsis thaliana met1 and ddm1 mutants causes varied and stochastic developmental defects that are often inherited independently of the original met1 or ddm1 mutation. Loss of non-CG methylation in plants with combined mutations in the DRM and CMT3 genes also causes a suite of developmental defects. We show here that the pleiotropic developmental defects of drm1 drm2 cmt3 triple mutant plants are fully recessive, and unlike phenotypes caused by met1 and ddm1, are not inherited independently of the drm and cmt3 mutations. Developmental phenotypes are also reversed when drm1 drm2 cmt3 plants are transformed with DRM2 or CMT3, implying that non-CG DNA methylation is efficiently re-established by sequence-specific signals. We provide evidence that these signals include RNA silencing though the 24-nucleotide short interfering RNA (siRNA) pathway as well as histone H3K9 methylation, both of which converge on the putative chromatin-remodeling protein DRD1. These signals act in at least three partially intersecting pathways that control the locus-specific patterning of non-CG methylation by the DRM2 and CMT3 methyltransferases. Our results suggest that non-CG DNA methylation that is inherited via a network of persistent targeting signals has been co-opted to regulate developmentally important genes.

New ways not to make ends meet: telomerase, DNA damage proteins and heterochromatin.

Telomeres are stabilized, and telomeric DNA is replenished, by the action of the ribonucleoprotein reverse transcriptase telomerase. Telomere capping functions include the ability of telomeres to protect chromosome ends from cellular DNA-damage responses such as cell cycle arrest or apoptosis. This property of telomeres is especially important for cancer cells, which continue proliferating despite chromosome aberrations. Telomere capping is influenced by multiple, mutually reinforcing factors including telomere length, although telomere length is only one of several determinants of telomere functionality. For example, many cancer cells express high levels of telomerase yet maintain relatively short telomeres. We consider three aspects of telomere capping that have emerged relatively recently: (1) a new role for telomerase in telomere capping independent of its function in telomere elongation. Support for this novel function comes from experiments showing an increase in replicative potential with the reactivation of telomerase, without net telomere lengthening; (2) the role at telomeres of DNA damage proteins. We propose a model in which two factors specifically target telomeres for the action of telomerase, as opposed to recombination or non-homologous end-joining: binding by telomeric proteins that limits DNA damage responses at telomeres, and the affinity of the telomerase RNP for telomeric proteins and DNA; and (3) we discuss a potential protective role of amplified subtelomeric DNAs, which may aid capping of telomeres maintained by non-telomerase based mechanisms through the formation of heterochromatin.

A haploid genetics toolbox for Arabidopsis thaliana.

Genetic analysis in haploids provides unconventional yet powerful advantages not available in diploid organisms. In Arabidopsis thaliana, haploids can be generated through seeds by crossing a wild-type strain to a transgenic strain with altered centromeres. Here we report the development of an improved haploid inducer (HI) strain, SeedGFP-HI, that aids selection of haploid seeds prior to germination. We also show that haploids can be used as a tool to accelerate a variety of genetic analyses, specifically pyramiding multiple mutant combinations, forward mutagenesis screens, scaling down a tetraploid to lower ploidy levels and swapping of nuclear and cytoplasmic genomes. Furthermore, the A. thaliana HI can be used to produce haploids from a related species A. suecica and generate homozygous mutant plants from strong maternal gametophyte lethal alleles, which is not possible via conventional diploid genetics. Taken together, our results demonstrate the utility and power of haploid genetics in A. thaliana.

Hybrid recreation by reverse breeding in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Hybrid crop varieties are traditionally produced by selecting and crossing parental lines to evaluate hybrid performance. Reverse breeding allows doing the opposite: selecting uncharacterized heterozygotes and generating parental lines from them. With these, the selected heterozygotes can be recreated as F1 hybrids, greatly increasing the number of hybrids that can be screened in breeding programs. Key to reverse breeding is the suppression of meiotic crossovers in a hybrid plant to ensure the transmission of nonrecombinant chromosomes to haploid gametes. These gametes are subsequently regenerated as doubled-haploid (DH) offspring. Each DH carries combinations of its parental chromosomes, and complementing pairs can be crossed to reconstitute the initial hybrid. Achiasmatic meiosis and haploid generation result in uncommon phenotypes among offspring owing to chromosome number variation. We describe how these features can be dealt with during a reverse-breeding experiment, which can be completed in six generations (∼1 year).

Comparative analysis of tandem repeats from hundreds of species reveals unique insights into centromere evolution.

BACKGROUND: Centromeres are essential for chromosome segregation, yet their DNA sequences evolve rapidly. In most animals and plants that have been studied, centromeres contain megabase-scale arrays of tandem repeats. Despite their importance, very little is known about the degree to which centromere tandem repeats share common properties between different species across different phyla. We used bioinformatic methods to identify high-copy tandem repeats from 282 species using publicly available genomic sequence and our own data. RESULTS: Our methods are compatible with all current sequencing technologies. Long Pacific Biosciences sequence reads allowed us to find tandem repeat monomers up to 1,419 bp. We assumed that the most abundant tandem repeat is the centromere DNA, which was true for most species whose centromeres have been previously characterized, suggesting this is a general property of genomes. High-copy centromere tandem repeats were found in almost all animal and plant genomes, but repeat monomers were highly variable in sequence composition and length. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of sequence homology showed little evidence of sequence conservation beyond approximately 50 million years of divergence. We find that despite an overall lack of sequence conservation, centromere tandem repeats from diverse species showed similar modes of evolution. CONCLUSIONS: While centromere position in most eukaryotes is epigenetically determined, our results indicate that tandem repeats are highly prevalent at centromeres of both animal and plant genomes. This suggests a functional role for such repeats, perhaps in promoting concerted evolution of centromere DNA across chromosomes.

Reverse breeding in Arabidopsis thaliana generates homozygous parental lines from a heterozygous plant.

Traditionally, hybrid seeds are produced by crossing selected inbred lines. Here we provide a proof of concept for reverse breeding, a new approach that simplifies meiosis such that homozygous parental lines can be generated from a vigorous hybrid individual. We silenced DMC1, which encodes the meiotic recombination protein DISRUPTED MEIOTIC cDNA1, in hybrids of A. thaliana, so that non-recombined parental chromosomes segregate during meiosis. We then converted the resulting gametes into adult haploid plants, and subsequently into homozygous diploids, so that each contained half the genome of the original hybrid. From 36 homozygous lines, we selected 3 (out of 6) complementing parental pairs that allowed us to recreate the original hybrid by intercrossing. In addition, this approach resulted in a complete set of chromosome-substitution lines. Our method allows the selection of a single choice offspring from a segregating population and preservation of its heterozygous genotype by generating homozygous founder lines.

A unified phylogeny-based nomenclature for histone variants.

Histone variants are non-allelic protein isoforms that play key roles in diversifying chromatin structure. The known number of such variants has greatly increased in recent years, but the lack of naming conventions for them has led to a variety of naming styles, multiple synonyms and misleading homographs that obscure variant relationships and complicate database searches. We propose here a unified nomenclature for variants of all five classes of histones that uses consistent but flexible naming conventions to produce names that are informative and readily searchable. The nomenclature builds on historical usage and incorporates phylogenetic relationships, which are strong predictors of structure and function. A key feature is the consistent use of punctuation to represent phylogenetic divergence, making explicit the relationships among variant subtypes that have previously been implicit or unclear. We recommend that by default new histone variants be named with organism-specific paralog-number suffixes that lack phylogenetic implication, while letter suffixes be reserved for structurally distinct clades of variants. For clarity and searchability, we encourage the use of descriptors that are separate from the phylogeny-based variant name to indicate developmental and other properties of variants that may be independent of structure.

Synthetic clonal reproduction through seeds.

Cloning through seeds has potential revolutionary applications in agriculture, because it would allow vigorous hybrids to be propagated indefinitely. However, asexual seed formation or apomixis, avoiding meiosis and fertilization, is not found in the major food crops. To develop de novo synthesis of apomixis, we crossed Arabidopsis MiMe and dyad mutants that produce diploid clonal gametes to a strain whose chromosomes are engineered to be eliminated after fertilization. Up to 34% of the progeny were clones of their parent, demonstrating the conversion of clonal female or male gametes into seeds. We also show that first-generation cloned plants can be cloned again. Clonal reproduction through seeds can therefore be achieved in a sexual plant by manipulating two to four conserved genes.

Identification of genes required for de novo DNA methylation in Arabidopsis.

De novo DNA methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana is catalyzed by the methyltransferase DRM2, a homolog of the mammalian de novo methyltransferase DNMT3. DRM2 is targeted to DNA by small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in a process known as RNA-directed DNA Methylation (RdDM). While several components of the RdDM pathway are known, a functional understanding of the underlying mechanism is far from complete. We employed both forward and reverse genetic approaches to identify factors involved in de novo methylation. We utilized the FWA transgene, which is methylated and silenced when transformed into wild-type plants, but unmethylated and expressed when transformed into de novo methylation mutants. Expression of FWA is marked by a late flowering phenotype, which is easily scored in mutant versus wild-type plants. By reverse genetics we discovered the requirement for known RdDM effectors AGO6 and NRPE5a for efficient de novo methylation. A forward genetic approach uncovered alleles of several components of the RdDM pathway, including alleles of clsy1, ktf1, and nrpd/e2, which have not been previously shown to be required for the initial establishment of DNA methylation. Mutations were mapped and genes cloned by both traditional and whole genome sequencing approaches. The methodologies and the mutant alleles discovered will be instrumental in further studies of de novo DNA methylation.