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Unidirectional gene conversion associated with two insertions in neurospora crassa mitochondrial DNA.

The mitochondrial phenotype of [poky] and other extranuclear Neurospora mutants is known to predominate over that of wild type in heteroplasmons. In the present work, we have investigated the interaction between wild-type and [poky] mtDNAs using as many as four physical markers to distinguish the two types of mtDNAs. Two insertions, one of 1200 bp in Eco RI-5 and the other 50 bp in Eco RI-9, are identified as sites of high frequency, unidirectional gene conversion leading to their spread through mtDNA populations in heteroplasmons. However, the transmission of the [poky] mutation does not appear to be correlated with the transmission of either of these insertions or of other physical markers. The possibility that other loci of nonreciprocal recombination might be responsible for the "dominance" of Neurospora extranuclear mutants is discussed.

Cell Nucleus

Genetic effect of 3-carbethoxypsoralen, angelicin, psoralen and 8-methoxypsoralen plus 365-nm irradiation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: induction of reversions, mitotic crossing-over, gene conversion and cytoplasmic "petite" mutations.

The genetic effects of two mono-functional photosensitizing furocoumarins, 3-carbethoxypsoralen (3-CPs) and angelicin, were compared with those of two bi-functional furocoumarins, 8-methoxypsoralen and psoralen in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A drug concentration of 5 X 10(-5) M plus various doses of 365-nm irradiation at a dose rate of 1.2 kJ m-2 min-1 were used. Per dose of 365-nm irradiation, the frequency of induced nuclear events such as gene mutation and mitotic recombination (conversion and crossing-over) is higher for the bi-functional than for the mono-functional compounds. The higher efficiency of the bi-functional furocoumarins is also evident when the frequency of mutants is expressed as a function of survival. However, the photo-addition of the 4 furocoumarins studied leads to the same response for the induction of recombinational events per viable cell. Amongst genetically altered colonies induced in the diploid strains D5 and D7, the colonies corresponding to the induction of crossing-over are effectively produced by bi-functional furocoumarins, but are rare (D7) or even absent (D5) after treatment with monofunctional furocoumarins. This suggests a certain specificity of genetic alterations produced by the bi-functional agents. 3-CPs is the most effective inducer on the cytoplasmic "petite" mutation in stationary phase cells per unit irradiation dose or per viable cell.

Alleles

Characterization of non-crossover recombination spectrum by single-microspore sequencing in maize and rice.

Meiotic DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) are crucial for chromosome recombination. The repair of DSB gives two outcomes: crossover (CO) and non-crossover (NCO). CO involves the bidirectional exchange between homologous chromosomes, whereas NCO refers to the unidirectional transfer of chromosome fragments. NCO can be categorized into NCO with gene conversion and NCO without gene conversion. Due to technological constraints, previous studies have focused more on CO than on NCO. In this study, we isolated single microspores from meiotic tetrads of maize (Zea mays) and rice (Oryza sativa) and conducted deep single-microspore genome sequencing to characterize NCO gene conversion (NCO-GC). Under highly stringent conditions, 101 CO and 902 NCO-GC tracts were identified in four maize tetrads, while 173 CO and 279 NCO-GC tracts were identified in six rice tetrads. In both maize and rice, NCO-GC was more prone to occur in the upstream and downstream of genes, as well as the introns. It also had a significant distribution in transposon regions. A common A-rich motif was enriched in the NCO-GC tracts of maize and rice. GC-biased gene conversion (gBGC) likely contributed to the bimodality of the GC content at the third codon position (GC3), and we discovered a significant proportional relationship between the number of DSBs and the GC content. These findings provide evidence that NCO-GC exhibits a distinct pattern compared with CO and may play an important role in gene and genome evolution.

Oryza

Genetic activity of trichloroethylene in yeast.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) was tested for its ability to induce both point mutation and mitotic gene conversion in diploid strain of yeast. Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain D7) was tested for both activities in culture with and without a mammalian microsomal activation system and in the intrasanguineous host-mediated assay in mice. Strain D4 (gene conversion) was tested only in the host-mediated assay. In suspension tests with D7, TCE was toxic but not genetically active without microsomal activation. When a mouse liver 10,000 xg supernatant was included in the suspension tests, dose related increases in both mutation and gene conversion were seen at survival levels of greater than 50 percent. In the host-mediated assay, TCE induced both point mutation and gene conversion in D7 and gene conversion in D4 when recovered from the liver and kidneys after both acute and subacute dosing. Yeasts recovered from the lungs showed little, if any, increase in either point mutation or gene conversion.

Mutagens

Meiotic recombination and synaptonemal complexes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The course of meiotic recombination, gene conversion and crossing-over, was investigated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Gene conversion was used as the selected event by removing cells from a medium inducing and promoting meiosis to a vegetative growth medium selective for convertants. Gene conversion started to increase at the same time as DNA synthesis, and nuclei entered a phase where the chromatin appeared as thread-like structures. Crossing over of linked and unlinked markers also started early but remained at a low level until synaptonemal complexes were formed. However, gene conversion and a limited amount of crossing-over could be completed without synaptonemal complexes. It was concluded that meiotic recombination in yeast can occur as early as during DNA synthesis and does not require the function of synaptonemal complexes. Moreover, the low incidence of crossing-over early in meiosis is attributed to a low frequency of strand isomerization.

Alleles

The mutation landscape of Daphnia obtusa reveals evolutionary forces shaping genome stability.

Spontaneous mutations are the primary source of genetic variation and play a central role in shaping evolutionary processes. To investigate mutational dynamics in Daphnia obtusa, we generated a chromosome-level genome assembly spanning 129.4 Mb across 12 chromosomes, encompassing 15,321 predicted protein-coding genes. Leveraging whole-genome sequencing of eight mutation accumulation (MA) lines propagated for an average of 482 generations (spanning over 20 years), we estimated a spontaneous single nucleotide mutation (SNM) rate of 2.23 × 10-9 and an indel mutation rate of 2.75 × 10-10 per site per generation. The SNM spectrum was strongly biased toward C:G > T:A transitions. Comparative analyses with natural population data revealed that exonic mutations observed in the MA lines were significantly less likely to be present in standing variation than intronic or intergenic mutations, suggesting that purifying selection in natural populations acts to remove deleterious alleles. We also identified 48 de novo loss-of-heterozygosity (LOH) events, comprising 8 heterozygous deletions and 40 gene conversion events. The genome-wide gene conversion rate was estimated at 2.62 × 10-5 per heterozygous site per generation. These findings provide a comprehensive view of the mutation spectrum, selective pressures, and mechanisms underlying genome stability in D. obtusa.

Daphnia obtusa

Procedures used in the induction of mitotic recombination and mutation in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Techniques are described for the use of various yeast strains to detect the induction of (1) mitotic crossing-over, (2) mitotic gene conversion, (3) forward mutation and (4) reverse mutation. The technique for the detection of mitotic crossing over is based on a diploid that carries two different alleles of the gene locus ade2. These alleles differ in their extent of colony pigmentation engendered on low-adenine media, and they complement each other to the effect that the diploid is white. Mitotic crossing over results in the formation of twin-sectored colonies with a red and a pink sector. The technique for the detection of mitotic gene conversion is based on the use of a heteroallelic diploid carrying two non-complementing alleles that cause a nutritional requirement. Mitotic gene conversion leads to the restoration of intact and dominant wild-type alleles that alleviate the nutritional requirement so that convertant cells can be selected on a minimal medium. The forward mutation technique is based on the use of a haploid strain with a defect in the ade2-gene locus which causes the formation of red colonies. Induction of forward mutation in a number of other loci prevents the accumulation of this red pigment so that induction of mutation can be detected by the formation of pink and white colonies. The reverse mutation technique is based on the restoration or compensation of a mutational defect causing a growth requirement. Mutants can be selected for on a minimal medium.

Adenine

Evidence that a single DNA ligase is involved in replication and recombination in yeast.

The possible existence in yeast of different nuclear DNA ligase enzymes led us to ask whether induced recombination (gene conversion) involves the same ligase as that involved in DNA replication. The conditional cdc9 mutant is known to be defective, under restrictive conditions, in the rejoining of Okazaki fragments. We show here that under the same conditions, x-ray-induced convertants within the cdc9 locus are produced with kinetics indicating that most, if not all, of the conversion events require the participation of the cdc9-controlled ligase. Thus, the same DNA ligase is involved in DNA replication and in induced gene conversion.

DNA Ligases

Mitotic recombination in the absence of synaptonemal complexes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Mitotic cells of a diploid strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae with appropriate markers for the detection of mitotic crossing-over and mitotic gene conversion were irradiated with X-rays. Induction of these recombinational events was strong. After irradiation, cells were incubated in a rich growth medium and samples were removed for studying the possible formation of synaptonemal complexes up to a time when most cells had completed the first post-irradiation cell division. No complexes were found during the entire period of sampling, during which mitotic recombination in G1 (mitotic gene conversion), DNA replication and G2 (mitotic crossing-over) had occurred. These results are interpreted to mean that synaptonemal complexes are not required for mitotic recombination.

Alleles

Cell-cycle variation in the induction of lethality and mitotic recombination after treatment with UV and nitrous acid in the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Exponentially growing yeast cultures separated into discrete periods of the cell cycle by zonal rotor centrifugation show cyclic variation in both UV and nitrous acid induced cell lethality, mitotic gene conversion and mitotic crossing-over. Maximum cell survival after UV treatment was observed in the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle at a time when UV induction of both types of mitotic recombination was at a minimum. In contrast, cell inactivation by the chemical mutagen nitrous acid showed a single discrete period of sensitivity which occurred in S phase cells which are undergoing DNA synthesis. Mitotic gene conversion and mitotic crossing-over were induced by nitrous acid in cells at all stages of the cell cycle with a peak of induction of both events occurring at the time of maximum cell lethality. The lack of correlation observed between maximum cell and the maximum induction of mitotic intragenic recombination suggest that other DNA-repair mechanisms besides DNA-recombination repair are involved in the recovery of inactivated yeast cells during the cell cycle.

Cell Cycle

The use of yeast cultures for the detection of environmental mutagens using a fluctuation test.

A microbial fluctuation test, modified for the detection of environmental mutagens has been evaluated using a number of strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Auxotrophic diploid cultures of yeast which produce prototrophic colonies by both mitotic gene conversion and mutation have been extensively utilized for the detection and evaluation of chemicals showing genetic activity. A number of the yeast strains utilized were shown to be suitable for use in the fluctuation test although the time scales of the experiments were considerably extended (up to 16 days) compared to those involving bacteria. The yeast strains respond to doses of mutagens at least a 100-fold lower than that required in a conventional short exposure treat and plate experiment. In experiments involving the induction of mitotic gene conversion at the tryptophan-5 and histidine-4 loci in the fluctuation test significant increases in prototrophic cells were produced in the presence of the insecticide Lindex (0.05 microng/ml), the preservative Thiomersal (0.0001 microng/ml), a mahogany hair dye (0.01 microng/ml), the herbicide Paraquat (0.02 microng/ml) and the alkylating agent ethyl methane sulphonate (0.1 microng/ml). The results demonstrate that the fluctuation test provides an extremely sensitive assay for the detection of chemicals which show genetic activity in yeast at non-toxic concentrations.

Biological Assay

The nature of genetic recombination near the third chromosome centromere or Drosophila melanogaster.

Previous studies have indicated that recombination near the third chromosome centromere is associated with negative chromosome interference, a phenomenon for which Green (1975) and Sinclair (1975) suggested gene conversion as a possible mechanism. In this report, we demonstrate that negative chromosome interference is still observed when deficiencies or translocation breakpoints are scored as the middle markers in recombination experiments and the rate of recombination is increased by interchromosomal effect. We argue that these chromosomal rearrangement breakpoints are not subject to conversion. Since neither successive premeiotic and meiotic exchanges, nor negative chromatid interference, can by themselves account for the negative chromosome interference, we conclude that a greater than expected frequency of multiple exchanges actually occurs. We further suggest that negative chromosome interference may be characteristic of all chromosomal regions normally showing very little exchange in relation to physical length.

Animals