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H L Klein

Publications and source records attributed to H L Klein.

33 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Nucleotide sequence and characterization of temperature-sensitive pol1 mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We have analyzed the effects of temperature-sensitivity (ts)-conferring mutations in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA polymerase I-encoding gene on cell growth, in vivo DNA synthesis, intrachromosomal gene conversion and pop-out recombination. Also, we have identified the molecular defect responsible for the ts phenotype. Two mutant alleles (cdc17-1, cdc17-2) were originally identified as cell-cycle mutations, while a third mutation (hpr3) was found during a genetic screening for mutants with a hyper-recombination phenotype. Both cdc17-2 and hpr3 cells complete one round of cell division and DNA replication after shift to nonpermissive temperature, before being arrested as dumbbell-shaped cells. Conversely, the cdc17-1 mutation immediately blocks growth and DNA synthesis at 37 degrees C. No substantial difference was observed in the frequency of intrachromosomal gene conversion and pop-out recombination events, when hpr3 and cdc17-1 were compared to the previously characterized pol1-1 mutant. These two frequencies were ten- to 30-fold above wild-type level at semipermissive temperature. In each mutant, a single bp substitution, causing the replacement of Gly residues by either Asp (cdc17-1, cdc17-2) or Glu (hpr3) in yeast DNA polymerase I is responsible for the ts phenotype.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

HPR1, a novel yeast gene that prevents intrachromosomal excision recombination, shows carboxy-terminal homology to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae TOP1 gene.

The HPR1 gene has been cloned by complementation of the hyperrecombination phenotype of hpr1-1 strains by using a color assay system. HPR1 is a gene that is in single copy on chromosome IV of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, closely linked to ARO1, and it codes for a putative protein of 752 amino acids (molecular mass, 88 kilodaltons). Computer searches revealed homology (48.8% conserved homology; 24.8% identity) with the S. cerevisiae TOP1 gene in an alpha-helical stretch of 129 amino acids near the carboxy-terminal region of both proteins. The ethyl methanesulfonate-induced hpr1-1 mutation is a single-base change that produces a stop codon at amino acid 559 coding for a protein that lacks the carboxy-terminal TOP1 homologous region. Haploid strains carrying deletions of the HPR1 gene show a slightly reduced mitotic growth rate and extremely high rates of intrachromosomal excision recombination (frequency, 10 to 15%) but have a undetectable effect on rDNA recombination. Double-null mutants hpr1 top1 grow very poorly. We conclude that Hpr1 is a novel eucaryotic protein, mutation of which causes an increase in mitotic intrachromosomal excision recombination, and that it may be functionally related to an activity of the topoisomerase I protein.

Alleles↗

Genes encoding the major surface glycoprotein in Leishmania are tandemly linked at a single chromosomal locus and are constitutively transcribed.

The major surface glycoprotein of Leishmania, gp63, is encoded by a small multi-gene family of tandemly linked genes which map to a single chromosome. For Leishmania major, there are five 3.1 kilobasepair (kb) direct repeat units which include a 1.8-kb open reading frame and a 1.3-kb intergenic or spacer region. In addition, there is a single gene copy linked as a direct repeat but separated from the tandem array of gp63 genes by about 8 kb. The restriction enzyme map of the repeat unit is highly conserved among the gene copies. The regions which flank the tandemly repeated genes diverge outside of the 3.1-kb repeat unit. Transcription of the gp63 gene locus is constitutive as the 3-kb transcript was present in promastigotes as well as in amastigotes. A minor 6-kb gp63 gene transcript was also detected in Northern blot analysis which could signify the transcription of the genes as a polycistronic or multigene precursor RNA.

Animals↗

Genetic and molecular analysis of recombination events in Saccharomyces cerevisiae occurring in the presence of the hyper-recombination mutation hpr1.

The hyper-recombination mutation hpr1 specifically increases mitotic intrachromatid crossovers, with no effect on other mitotic recombination events such as unequal sister chromatid exchange and plasmid-chromosome recombination, and no effect on meiotic recombination and a lesser effect on intrachromosomal gene conversion. The excision repair RAD1 gene is partially required for the expression on the hpr1 phenotype. The simplest hypothesis to account for some of the hpr1 stimulated recombination events is that a heteroduplex DNA intermediate and localized gene conversion are involved. hpr1 stimulated crossover events are independent of intrachromosomal gene conversion events stimulated by the hyper-gene conversion mutation hpr5. This result suggests that different intrachromosomal recombination processes are affected in each mutant strain. We propose that HPR1 may function to inhibit intrachromatid crossovers.

Crossing Over, Genetic↗

Yeast intrachromosomal recombination: long gene conversion tracts are preferentially associated with reciprocal exchange and require the RAD1 and RAD3 gene products.

A yeast intrachromosomal recombination system based on an inverted repeat has been designed to examine mitotic gene conversion tract length and the association of crossing over with gene conversion as a function of the conversion tract length. Short conversion tracts are found to be preferentially noncrossover while conversion tracts longer than 1.16 kb show a 50% association with crossover. Mutation in the excision repair gene RAD1 leads to a reduction in conversion tracts of at least 1.16 kb and a reduction in crossovers associated with conversion, regardless of the length of the conversion tract. Mutation in the excision repair gene RAD3, which encodes a DNA helicase, also leads to a reduction in conversion tracts of at least 1.16 kb, but has no effect on the frequency of associated crossovers. The roles of RAD1 and RAD3 in recombination are discussed.

Chromosome Inversion↗

Genetic control of intrachromosomal recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. I. Isolation and genetic characterization of hyper-recombination mutations.

Eight complementation groups have been defined for recessive mutations conferring an increased mitotic intrachromosomal recombination phenotype (hpr genes) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Some of the mutations preferentially increase intrachromosomal gene conversion (hpr4, hpr5 and hpr8) between repeated sequences, some increase loss of a marker between duplicated genes (hpr1 and hpr6), and some increase both types of events (hpr2, hpr3 and hpr7). New alleles of the CDC2 and CDC17 genes were recovered among these mutants. The mutants were also characterized for sensitivity to DNA damaging agents and for mutator activity. Among the more interesting mutants are hpr5, which shows a biased gene conversion in a leu2-112::URA3::leu2-k duplication; and hpr1, which has a much weaker effect on interchromosomal mitotic recombination than on intrachromosomal mitotic recombination. These analyses suggest that gene conversion and reciprocal exchange can be separated mutationally. Further studies are required to show whether different recombination pathways or different outcomes of the same recombination pathway are controlled by the genes identified in this study.

Cell Cycle↗

Different types of recombination events are controlled by the RAD1 and RAD52 genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Intrachromosomal recombination within heteroallelic duplications located on chromosomes III and XV of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been examined. Both possible orientations of alleles have been used in each duplication. Three recombinant classes, gene conversions, pop-outs and triplications, were recovered. Some of the recombinant classes were not anticipated from the particular allele orientation of the duplication. Recovery of these unexpected recombinants requires the RAD1 gene. These studies show that RAD1 has a role in recombination between repeated sequences, and that the recombination event is a gene conversion associated with a crossover. These events appear to involve very localized conversion of a heteroduplex region and are distinct from RAD52 mediated gene conversion events. Evidence is also presented to suggest that most recombination events between direct repeats are intrachromatid, not between sister chromatids.

Genes, Fungal↗

Intrachromosomal recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: reciprocal exchange in an inverted repeat and associated gene conversion.

Intrachromosomal gene conversion has not shown a strong association with reciprocal exchanges. However, reciprocal exchanges do occur between intrachromosomal repeats. To understand the relationship between reciprocal exchange and gene conversion in repeated sequences the recombination behavior of an inverted repeat was studied. We have found that in one orientation a single copy of the kanr gene of the bacterial transposon Tn903 flanked by part of the inverted repeats IS903 does not give G418 resistance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A reciprocal exchange in the IS903 repeats inverts the kanr gene, which then gives G418 resistance in a single copy. Using this as a selection for intrachromosomal reciprocal exchange we have introduced multiple restriction site heterologies into the IS903 repeats and examined the crossover products for associated gene conversions. Approximately 50% of crossovers, both in mitosis and meiosis, were associated with a gene conversion. This suggests that these crossovers result from an intermediate that gives a gene conversion in 50% of the events, that is, both reciprocal exchange and gene conversion between repeated sequences have a common origin. The data are most consistent with a heteroduplex mismatch repair mechanism.

Chromosomes↗

Genetic mapping of Ty elements in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We used transformation to insert a selectable marker at various sites in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome occupied by the transposable element Ty. The vector CV9 contains the LEU2+ gene and a portion of the repeated element Ty1-17. Transformation with this plasmid resulted in integration of the vector via a reciprocal exchange using homology at the LEU2 locus or at the various Ty elements that are dispersed throughout the S. cerevisiae genome. These transformants were used to map genetically sites of several Ty elements. The 24 transformants recovered at Ty sites define 19 distinct loci. Seven of these were placed on the genetic map. Two classes of Ty elements were identified in these experiments: a Ty1-17 class and Ty elements different from Ty1-17. Statistical analysis of the number of transformants at each class of Ty elements shows that there is preferential integration of the CV9 plasmid into the Ty1-17 class.

Centromere↗

Intrachromosomal gene conversion in yeast.

We have shown that the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has a mechanism by which information from one gene can be transferred non-reciprocally to a repeated copy of the gene on the same chromosome. This intrachromosomal gene conversion may be important in maintaining sequence homogeneity within families of repeated eukaryotic genes.

Chromatids↗

Inverted repeated sequences in yeast nuclear DNA.

The inverted repeated sequences (foldback DNA) of yeast nuclear DNA have been examined by electron microscopy and hydroxyapatite chromatography. Of the inverted repeat structures seen in the electron microscope, 34% were hairpins and 66% had a single stranded loop at the end of a duplex stem. The number average length of the repeat was 0.3 kb and the single stranded loop was 1.6 kb. It is estimated that there are approximately 250 inverted repeats per haploid genome. A statistical analysis of the frequency of molecules containing multiple inverted repeats showed that these sequences are non-randomly distributed. The distribution of inverted repeats was also examined by measuring the fraction of total DNA in the foldback fraction that bound to hydroxyapatite as a function of single strand fragment size. This analysis also indicated that the inverted repeats are clustered. Renaturation kinetic analysis of isolated foldback and inverted repeat stem sequence DNA showed that these sequences are enriched for repetitive DNA.

Cell Nucleus↗

Stable denaturation of chromosomal DNA from Saccharomyces cerevisiae during meiosis.

Partial denaturation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chromosomal DNA was found to occur spontaneously during meiosis. Short regions of strand separation (300 base pairs long) were seen in DNA molecules prepared for electron microscopy by the aqueous spreading technique. These regions were clustered along the DNA. The time course of their appearance indicated that the denatured regions were present during the periods of premeiotic DNA replication and recombination. A similar pattern of denaturation was also detected in the DNA from vegetatively grown cells of a conditional cdc8 mutant, which is defective in DNA replication.

Chromosomes↗

Deoxyribonucleic acid sequence organization of a yeast plasmid.

Two-micrometer deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), a circular plasmid of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, contains two nontandem repeated sequences which are inverted with respect to one another. These repeated sequences together account for 21% of the molecule length. Restriction endonuclease analysis and electron microscopy demonstrated the existence of two forms of 2-mum DNA differing in the orientation of the interstitial segments bounded by the inverted repeated sequences. The two forms of 2-mum DNA could result from an intramolecular reciprocal recombination between inverted repeat elements. A map containing the restriction endonuclease sites and the units of the inverted repeat has been constructed.

Base Sequence↗

Lack of association between intrachromosomal gene conversion and reciprocal exchange.

The association of reciprocal exchange with intrachromosomal gene conversion has been examined using an inverted repeat at the HIS3 locus of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Intrachromosomal gene conversions between the duplicated inverted sequences are frequent. In contrast to gene conversion events between homologous chromosomes, intrachromosomal gene conversion is not associated with reciprocal exchange in flanking sequences. This observation has important consequences for the role of gene conversion in the maintenance of multigene families.

Base Sequence↗