DNA sequence differences are determinants of meiotic recombination outcome

Abstract

PreambleDue to a mistake during analysis of a batch of Sanger sequencing reactions for Supplementary Figure S1, we erroneously stated that we found evidence for intragenic crossovers. We now show that intragenic crossovers are less likely than we initially thought. We sincerely apologize for our mishap and any inconvenience it might have caused. However, this does not affect the main conclusions of our paper, just how some of our results are interpreted. This new manuscript version has been amended accordingly. AbstractMeiotic recombination is essential for producing healthy gametes, and also generates genetic diversity. DNA double-strand break (DSB) formation is the initiating step of meiotic recombination, producing, among other outcomes, crossovers between homologous chromosomes (homologs), which provide physical links to guide accurate chromosome segregation. The parameters influencing DSB position and repair are thus crucial determinants of reproductive success and genetic diversity. Using Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we show that the distance between sequence polymorphisms across homologs has a strong impact on meiotic recombination rate. The closer the sequence polymorphisms are to each other across the homologs the fewer recombination events were observed. In the immediate vicinity of DSBs, sequence polymorphisms affect the frequency of intragenic recombination events (gene conversions). Additionally, and unexpectedly, the crossover rate of flanking markers tens of kilobases away from the sequence polymorphisms was affected by their relative position to each other amongst the progeny having undergone intragenic recombination. A major regulator of this distance-dependent effect is the MutSα-MutLα complex consisting of Msh2, Msh6, Mlh1, and Pms1. Additionally, the DNA helicases Rqh1 and Fml1 shape recombination frequency, although the effects seen here are largely independent of the relative position of the sequence polymorphisms.

Heat Stress Interferes with Formation of Double-Strand Breaks and Homolog Synapsis inArabidopsis thaliana

“…In our study, we showed that the number of DMC1 foci decreases under heat stress (Fig. 3), which supports the notion that DMC1 is a potential target of high temperature (Brown et al, 2019). The expression of DMC1 under heat stress is not significantly changed, but RAD51 is lowered (Fig.…”

“…Moderate elevation of temperature promotes MR in Arabidopsis via enhanced activation of type-I CO formation pathway but not by influencing DSB formation (Lloyd et al, 2018;Modliszewski et al, 2018). Similarly, in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, MR rate is moderately changed without alteration in DSB formation under temperatures within fertile range from 16 to 33°C (Brown et al, 2019). It thus is possible that DSB catalyzation system has a threshold to increase of environmental temperature, below which the system functions normally and generates DSBs.…”