scholarly journals Chromatin at X-linked repeats that guide dosage compensation in Drosophila melanogaster is modulated by the siRNA pathway

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikita Deshpande ◽  
Victoria H. Meller
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Gene Dosage ◽  
Ectopic Expression ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Satellite Repeats ◽  
Msl Complex ◽  
Dependent Modification ◽  
Sirna Pathway

AbstractMany heterogametic organisms adjust sex chromosome expression to accommodate differences in gene dosage. This requires selective recruitment of regulatory factors to the modulated chromosome. How these factors are localized to a chromosome with requisite accuracy is poorly understood. Drosophila melanogaster males increase expression from their single X chromosome. Identification of this chromosome involves cooperation between different classes of X-identity elements. The Chromatin Entry Sites (CES) recruit a chromatin-modifying complex that spreads into nearby genes and increases expression. In addition, a family of satellite repeats that is enriched on the X chromosome, the 1.688X repeats, promotes recruitment of the complex to nearby genes. The 1.688X repeats and CES are dissimilar, and appear to operate through different mechanisms. Interestingly, the siRNA pathway and siRNA from a 1.688X repeat also promote X recognition. We postulate that siRNA-dependent modification of 1.688X chromatin contributes to recognition of nearby genes. In accord with this, we found enrichment of the siRNA effector Argonaute2 (Ago2) at some 1.688X repeats.Mutations in several proteins that physically interact with Ago2, including the histone methyltransferase Su(var)3-9, enhance the lethality of males with defective X recognition. Su(var)3-9 deposits H3K9me2 on some 1.688X repeats, and this mark is disrupted upon ectopic expression of 1.688X siRNA. Furthermore, integration of 1.688X DNA on an autosome induces local H3K9me2 deposition, but enhances expression of nearby genes in a siRNA-dependent manner. Our findings are consistent with a model in which siRNA-directed modification of 1.688X chromatin contributes to recognition of the fly X chromosome by the MSL complex.

scholarly journals Debcl, a Proapoptotic Bcl-2 Homologue, Is a Component of the Drosophila melanogaster Cell Death Machinery

2000 ◽  
Vol 148 (4) ◽  
pp. 703-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Colussi ◽  
Leonie M. Quinn ◽  
David C.S. Huang ◽  
Michelle Coombe ◽  
Stuart H. Read ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Gene Dosage ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Ectopic Expression ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Proapoptotic Protein ◽  
Main Components

Bcl-2 family of proteins are key regulators of apoptosis. Both proapoptotic and antiapoptotic members of this family are found in mammalian cells, but no such proteins have been described in insects. Here, we report the identification and characterization of Debcl, the first Bcl-2 homologue in Drosophila melanogaster. Structurally, Debcl is similar to Bax-like proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members. Ectopic expression of Debcl in cultured cells and in transgenic flies causes apoptosis, which is inhibited by coexpression of the baculovirus caspase inhibitor P35, indicating that Debcl is a proapoptotic protein that functions in a caspase-dependent manner. debcl expression correlates with developmental cell death in specific Drosophila tissues. We also show that debcl genetically interacts with diap1 and dark, and that debcl-mediated apoptosis is not affected by gene dosage of rpr, hid, and grim. Biochemically, Debcl can interact with several mammalian and viral prosurvival Bcl-2 family members, but not with the proapoptotic members, suggesting that it may regulate apoptosis by antagonizing prosurvival Bcl-2 proteins. RNA interference studies indicate that Debcl is required for developmental apoptosis in Drosophila embryos. These results suggest that the main components of the mammalian apoptosis machinery are conserved in insects.

scholarly journals Absence of X-chromosome dosage compensation in the primordial germ cells of Drosophila embryos

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryoma Ota ◽  
Makoto Hayashi ◽  
Shumpei Morita ◽  
Hiroki Miura ◽  
Satoru Kobayashi
Keyword(s):  
X Chromosome ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Dosage Compensation ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Primordial Germ Cells ◽  
Histone H4 ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Essential Components ◽  
Msl Complex ◽  
Male Specific

AbstractDosage compensation is a mechanism that equalizes sex chromosome gene expression between the sexes. In Drosophila, individuals with two X chromosomes (XX) become female, whereas males have one X chromosome (XY). In males, dosage compensation of the X chromosome in the soma is achieved by five proteins and two non-coding RNAs, which assemble into the male-specific lethal (MSL) complex to upregulate X-linked genes twofold. By contrast, it remains unclear whether dosage compensation occurs in the germline. To address this issue, we performed transcriptome analysis of male and female primordial germ cells (PGCs). We found that the expression levels of X-linked genes were approximately twofold higher in female PGCs than in male PGCs. Acetylation of lysine residue 16 on histone H4 (H4K16ac), which is catalyzed by the MSL complex, was undetectable in these cells. In male PGCs, hyperactivation of X-linked genes and H4K16ac were induced by overexpression of the essential components of the MSL complex, which were expressed at very low levels in PGCs. Together, these findings indicate that failure of MSL complex formation results in the absence of X-chromosome dosage compensation in male PGCs.

scholarly journals Parallel Universes for Models of X Chromosome Dosage Compensation in Drosophila: A Review

2016 ◽  
Vol 148 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Birchler
Keyword(s):  
X Chromosome ◽  
Dosage Compensation ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Histone Modifiers ◽  
Parallel Universes ◽  
Msl Complex ◽  
High Level

Dosage compensation in Drosophila involves an approximately 2-fold increase in expression of the single X chromosome in males compared to the per gene expression in females with 2 X chromosomes. Two models have been considered for an explanation. One proposes that the male-specific lethal (MSL) complex that is associated with the male X chromosome brings histone modifiers to the sex chromosome to increase its expression. The other proposes that the inverse effect which results from genomic imbalance would tend to upregulate the genome approximately 2-fold, but the MSL complex sequesters histone modifiers from the autosomes to the X to mute this autosomal male-biased expression. On the X, the MSL complex must override the high level of resulting histone modifications to prevent overcompensation of the X chromosome. Each model is evaluated in terms of fitting classical genetic and recent molecular data. Potential paths toward resolving the models are suggested.

scholarly journals Transcriptional Adaptor ADA3 of Drosophila melanogaster Is Required for Histone Modification, Position Effect Variegation, and Transcription

2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 376-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Grau ◽  
Cristina Popescu ◽  
Laura Torroja ◽  
Daniel Ortuño-Sahagún ◽  
Imre Boros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Histone Acetyltransferase ◽  
Gene Dosage ◽  
Position Effect ◽  
Position Effect Variegation ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Histone H4 ◽  
Chromosomal Pairing ◽  
Effect Variegation ◽  
A Subunit

ABSTRACT The Drosophila melanogaster gene diskette (also known as dik or dAda3) encodes a protein 29% identical to human ADA3, a subunit of GCN5-containing histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complexes. The fly dADA3 is a major contributor to oogenesis, and it is also required for somatic cell viability. dADA3 localizes to chromosomes, and it is significantly reduced in dGcn5 and dAda2a, but not in dAda2b, mutant backgrounds. In dAda3 mutants, acetylation at histone H3 K9 and K14, but not K18, and at histone H4 K12, but not K5, K8, and K16, is significantly reduced. Also, phosphorylation at H3 S10 is reduced in dAda3 and dGcn5 mutants. Variegation for white (w m4 ) and scute (Hw v ) genes, caused by rearrangements of X chromosome heterochromatin, is modified in a dAda3 + gene-dosage-dependent manner. The effect is not observed with rearrangements involving Y heterochromatin (bw D ), euchromatin (Scutoid), or transvection effects on chromosomal pairing (white and zeste interaction). Activity of scute gene enhancers, targets for Iroquoi transcription factors, is abolished in dAda3 mutants. Also, Iroquoi-associated phenotypes are sensitive to dAda3 + gene dosage. We conclude that dADA3 plays a role in HAT complexes which acetylate H3 and H4 at specific residues. In turn, this acetylation results in chromatin structure effects of certain rearrangements and transcription of specific genes.

scholarly journals Distinct mechanisms mediate X chromosome dosage compensation in Anopheles and Drosophila

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. e202000996
Author(s):  
Claudia Isabelle Keller Valsecchi ◽  
Eric Marois ◽  
M Felicia Basilicata ◽  
Plamen Georgiev ◽  
Asifa Akhtar
Keyword(s):  
X Chromosome ◽  
Dosage Compensation ◽  
Gene Dosage ◽  
Histone H4 ◽  
Ecological Constraints ◽  
Evolutionary Trajectory ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
Deleterious Gene ◽  
Msl Complex ◽  
High Degree

Sex chromosomes induce potentially deleterious gene expression imbalances that are frequently corrected by dosage compensation (DC). Three distinct molecular strategies to achieve DC have been previously described in nematodes, fruit flies, and mammals. Is this a consequence of distinct genomes, functional or ecological constraints, or random initial commitment to an evolutionary trajectory? Here, we study DC in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae. The Anopheles and Drosophila X chromosomes evolved independently but share a high degree of homology. We find that Anopheles achieves DC by a mechanism distinct from the Drosophila MSL complex–histone H4 lysine 16 acetylation pathway. CRISPR knockout of Anopheles msl-2 leads to embryonic lethality in both sexes. Transcriptome analyses indicate that this phenotype is not a consequence of defective X chromosome DC. By immunofluorescence and ChIP, H4K16ac does not preferentially enrich on the male X. Instead, the mosquito MSL pathway regulates conserved developmental genes. We conclude that a novel mechanism confers X chromosome up-regulation in Anopheles. Our findings highlight the pluralism of gene-dosage buffering mechanisms even under similar genomic and functional constraints.

scholarly journals Regulation of Histone H4 Lys16 Acetylation by Predicted Alternative Secondary Structures in roX Noncoding RNAs

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (16) ◽  
pp. 4952-4962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung-Won Park ◽  
Mitzi I. Kuroda ◽  
Yongkyu Park
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Noncoding Rnas ◽  
Loop Structure ◽  
Histone H4 ◽  
Stem Loop ◽  
Functional Conservation ◽  
Stem Loop Structure ◽  
Msl Complex ◽  
H4k16 Acetylation

ABSTRACT Despite differences in size and sequence, the two noncoding roX1 and roX2 RNAs are functionally redundant for dosage compensation of the Drosophila melanogaster male X chromosome. Consistent with functional conservation, we found that roX RNAs of distant Drosophila species could complement D. melanogaster roX mutants despite low homology. Deletion of a conserved predicted stem-loop structure in roX2, containing a short GUb (GUUNUACG box) in its 3′ stem, resulted in a defect in histone H4K16 acetylation on the X chromosome in spite of apparently normal localization of the MSL complex. Two copies of the GUb sequence, newly termed the “roX box,” were functionally redundant in roX2, as mutants in a single roX box had no phenotype, but double mutants showed reduced H4K16 acetylation. Interestingly, mutation of two of three roX boxes in the 3′ end of roX1 RNA also reduced H4K16 acetylation. Finally, fusion of roX1 sequences containing a roX box restored function to a roX2 deletion RNA lacking its cognate roX box. These results support a model in which the functional redundancy between roX1 and roX2 RNAs is based, at least in part, on short GUUNUACG sequences that regulate the activity of the MSL complex.

scholarly journals Clinical Epigenetic Therapies Disrupt Sex Chromosome Dosage Compensation in Human Female Cells

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka I. Laskowski ◽  
Danielle A. Fanslow ◽  
Erica D. Smith ◽  
Steven T. Kosak
Keyword(s):  
Small Molecule ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Dosage Compensation ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Gene Dosage ◽  
X Inactivation ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanism ◽  
Human Female ◽  
Healthy Human ◽  
Inactivation Center

Sex chromosome gene dosage compensation is required to ensure equivalent levels of X-linked gene expression between males (46, XY) and females (46, XX). To achieve similar expression, X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) is initiated in female cells during early stages of embryogenesis. Within each cell, either the maternal or paternal X chromosome is selected for whole chromosome transcriptional silencing, which is initiated and maintained by epigenetic and chromatin conformation mechanisms. With the emergence of small-molecule epigenetic inhibitors for the treatment of disease, such as cancer, the epigenetic mechanism underlying XCI may be inadvertently targeted. Here, we test 2 small-molecule epigenetic inhibitors being used clinically, GSK126 (a histone H3 lysine 27 methyltransferase inhibitor) and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (a histone deacetylase inhibitor), on their effects of the inactive X (Xi) in healthy human female fibroblasts. The combination of these modifiers, at subcancer therapeutic levels, leads to the inability to detect the repressive H3K27me3 modification characteristic of XCI in the majority of the cells. Importantly, genes positioned near the X-inactivation center ( Xic), where inactivation is initiated, exhibit robust expression with treatment of the inhibitors, while genes located near the distal ends of the X chromosome intriguingly exhibit significant downregulation. These results demonstrate that small-molecule epigenetic inhibitors can have profound consequences on XCI in human cells, and they underscore the importance of considering gender when developing and clinically testing small-molecule epigenetic inhibitors, in particular those that target the well-characterized mechanisms of X inactivation.

Adding the heterochromatic YL arm to an X chromosome reduces reproductive fitnesses in Drosophila melanogaster: implications for the evolution of rDNA, heterochromatin, and reproductive isolation

Genome ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 340-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Frankham
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Reproductive Fitness ◽  
Chromosome Translocation ◽  
Translocation Chromosome ◽  
X Chromosomes ◽  
The Face ◽  
Over Time

For X–Y exchange to be of importance in the coevolution of X and Y rDNA, there must be a mechanism to maintain cytologically normal X chromosomes in the face of continual infusions of X.YL chromosomes produced by X–Y exchanges. Replicated populations were founded with different frequencies of isogenic X and X.YL chromosomes. The X.YL chromosome declined in frequency over time in all lines. Relative fitnesses, estimated from chromosome frequency trajectories, were 0.40, 1.01, and 1.0 for X.YL/X.YL, X.YL/X, and X/X females and 0.75 and 1.0 for X.YL/Y and X/Y males, respectively. The equilibrium frequency for the X.YL chromosome due to the balance between X–Y exchange and selection was predicted to be 4–16 × 10−4. The results strengthen the evidence for the involvement of X–Y exchange in the coevolution of X and Y rDNA arrays. Conditions for the evolution of reproductive isolation by sex-chromosome translocation are much less probable than previously supposed since the X.YL translocation chromosome is at a selective disadvantage to cytologically normal X chromosomes. Additional heterochromatin was not neutral but was only deleterious beyond a threshold, as one dose of the heterochromatic XL arm did not reduce female reproductive fitness, but two doses did.Key words: Drosophila, rRNA, heterochromatin, fitness, speciation.

scholarly journals CENTROMERIC EFFECT ON THE DEGREE OF NONRANDOM DISJUNCTION IN THE FEMALE DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

Genetics ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-132
Author(s):  
Hon Fong Louie Mark ◽  
Stanley Zimmering
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Double Exchange ◽  
Distal Region ◽  
Unexpected Result ◽  
Preferential Segregation ◽  
Single Exchange ◽  
Time Required

ABSTRACT From crosses of females possessing a heteromorphic X-chromosome bivalent, FR1/+, the shorter crossover products were recovered on the average more frequently than the longer reciprocals as predicted by Novitski's (1951) hypothesis of nonrandom disjunction (NRD). The present study stemmed from an unexpected result of these crosses. Evidence for a centromeric effect on NRD was obtained, suggested by a negative correlation between the degree of NRD, c, and the distance between the region of exchange and the centromere as inferred from SET's (single exchange tetrads). Studies on sex chromosome systems other than FR1 confirmed these results. An analogous centromeric effect on preferential segregation had been clearly demonstrated in maize (Kikudome 1958, 1959; Rhoades and Dempsey 1966). However, prior to the present investigation, no such effect of the centromere on NRD in Drosophila had been described, although reanalysis of part of the data of Novitski (1951) and Novitski and Sandler (1956) suggests some evidence of a seriation of increasing c values extending from the most distal region of the chromosome toward the centromere. A suggestion that the effect in Drosophila may be related in some way to the time required for chiasma terminalization, i.e., those terminalizing earlier (distally located crossovers) permitting more random disjunction of the chromatids from the asymmetric dyad and those terminalizing later, progressively less random, is considered and rejected since in general the expected pattern of c values for the various double exchange tetrads (DET's) is inconsistent with that prediction and provides evidence suggesting the possibility of reversals, in part, of c values obtained for SET's.

scholarly journals Suppression of a lethal trisomic phenotype in Drosophila melanogaster by increased dosage of an unlinked locus.

Genetics ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 134 (1) ◽  
pp. 243-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
D R Dorer ◽  
M A Cadden ◽  
B Gordesky-Gold ◽  
G Harries ◽  
A C Christensen
Keyword(s):  
Drosophila Melanogaster ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Gene Dosage ◽  
Chromosome Region ◽  
Dosage Effect ◽  
Gene Dosage Effect ◽  
Unlinked Locus ◽  
Lethal Phenotype ◽  
The Third ◽  
Dosage Sensitivity

Abstract One of the most extreme examples of gene dosage sensitivity is the Triplo-lethal locus (Tpl) on the third chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster, which is lethal when present in either one or three copies. Increased dosage of an unlinked locus, Isis, suppresses the triplo-lethal phenotype of Tpl, but not the haplo-lethal phenotype. We have mapped Isis to the X chromosome region 7E3-8A5, and shown that the suppression is a gene dosage effect. Altered dosage of Isis in the presence of two copies of Tpl has no obvious effects. By examining the interactions between Isis dosage and Tpl we suggest that Isis does not directly repress Tpl expression, but acts downstream on the triplo-lethal phenotype of Tpl.

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