DSC1-MCB regulation of meiotic transcription in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Abstract

Meiosis is initiated from the G1 phase of the mitotic cell cycle, and consists of pre-meiotic S-phase followed by two successive nuclear divisions. Here we show that control of gene expression during pre-meiotic S-phase in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is mediated by a DNA synthesis control-like transcription factor complex (DSC1), which acts upon M lu1 cell cycle box (MCB) promoter motifs. Several genes, including rec8+, rec11+, cdc18+, and cdc22+, which contain MCB motifs in their promoter regions, are found to be co-ordinately regulated during pre-meiotic S-phase. Both synthetic and native MCB motifs are shown to confer meiotic-specific transcription on a heterologous reporter gene. A DSC1-like transcription factor complex that binds to MCB motifs was also identified in meiotic cells. The effect of mutating and over-expressing individual components of DSC1 (cdc10+, res1+, res2+, rep1+ and rep2+) on the transcription of cdc22+, rec8+ and rec11+ during meiosis was examined. We found that cdc10+, res2+, rep1+ and rep2+ are required for correct meiotic transcription, while res1+ is not required for this process. This work demonstrates a role for MCB motifs and a DSC1-like transcription factor complex in controlling transcription during meiosis in fission yeast, and suggests a mechanism for how this specific expression occurs.

Microarray expression analysis of meiosis and microsporogenesis in hexaploid bread wheat

“…These findings suggest that there are a discrete number of transcription factors that control meiotic genes and hence the regulation of meiotic progression in bread wheat, as has been suggested for yeast [49,50]. In order to further our understanding of meiotic regulation and determine whether any of these candidates are co-regulated, a yeast one-hybrid approach could be employed using the promoter regions of the candidates.…”

The C-terminus of S. pombe DDK subunit Dfp1 is required for meiosis-specific transcription and cohesin cleavage

“…We examined the timing of meiotic transcript accumulation, which occurs in characteristic waves (Mata et al, 2007). Early meiotic gene expression depends in part on the meiosis-specific DNA synthesis control-like transcription factor complex (DSC1) (Cunliffe et al, 2004; Mata et al, 2007), which regulates rec12 + , dfp1 + , and numerous other genes. There is also DSC1-independent early transcription of several genes including rec25 + and rec27 + (Mata et al, 2007).…”

Meiosis-like Functions in Oncogenesis: A New View of Cancer

“…Normal meiosis in the fission yeast requires the induction of a number of "tightly" meiosisspecific genes following meiotic commitment (55); for example, rec8, a gene encoding a meiosis-specific cohesin component (56). During mitotic proliferation, these genes are suppressed at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels through an RNA interference-and exosome-dependent pathway controlled by the Mmi1 protein (57)(58)(59)(60)(61)(62). Dysregulation of the Mmi1 pathway in mitotically dividing cells results in inappropriate levels of meiosis-specific transcripts such as rec8 mRNA (59).…”