Meiotic pairing constraints and the activity of sex chromosomes

Jablonka, Eva; Lamb, Marion J.

doi:10.1016/s0022-5193(88)80022-5

Cited by 57 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…121 Previously, it was suggested that this might "save" the heterologous sex chromosomes from transcriptional silencing during the lengthy prophase in oocytes. 122 Like the X chromosome in mammals, the Z chromosome is gene-rich, and it is to be expected that prolonged silencing of the Z chromosome would be detrimental to oocytes. We wondered how meiotic recombination between Z and W could be prevented during synapsis, and reasoned that the avian system could be a good model to discriminate between the roles of chromosome synapsis and meiotic recombination in the process of meiotic silencing.…”

Section: Meiotic Silencing Prior To Synapsis and Dsb-repair In Avian mentioning

confidence: 99%

DNA double strand break repair, chromosome synapsis and transcriptional silencing in meiosis

Inagaki

Schoenmakers²,

Baarends³

2010

Epigenetics

105

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C hromosome pairing and synapsis during meiotic prophase requires the formation and repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by the topoisomerase-like enzyme SPO11. Chromosomes, or chromosomal regions, that lack a pairing partner, such as the largely heterologous X and Y chromosomes, show delayed meiotic DSB repair and are transcriptionally silenced. Herein, we review meiosis-specific aspects of DSB repair in relation to homology recognition and meiotic silencing of heterologous regions. We propose a dynamic interplay between progression of synapsis and persistent meiotic DSBs. Signaling from these persistent breaks could inhibit heterologous synapsis and stimulate meiotic silencing of the X and Y chromosomes.

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Section: Meiotic Silencing Prior To Synapsis and Dsb-repair In Avian mentioning

confidence: 99%

DNA double strand break repair, chromosome synapsis and transcriptional silencing in meiosis

Inagaki

Schoenmakers²,

Baarends³

2010

Epigenetics

105

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“…For somatic functions selection is for developmental homeostasis -for survival in spite of genetically and environmentally produced 'noise'; with gametogenesis selection is for processes that detect and eliminate germ cells that are inadequate -the next generation must be started from perfect gametes. Cytogenetic evidence suggests that the pairing of homologous chromosomes is a critical stage in gamete formation: normal gametogenesis requires homologous chromosomes to pair properly during meiosis, or if they cannot pair, for unpaired regions to become heterochromatic (Miklos, 1974;Jablonka and Lamb, 1988). When the chromatin-restructuring processes that are necessary for pairing or protective heterochromatinization are impaired, for example as a consequence of chromosomal rearrangements, there are problems with DNA packaging at post-meiotic maturation stages, and gametocyte degeneration and sterility often follow.…”

Section: Epigenetic Inheritance and Genome Organizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pairing may also be impaired if homologous regions in the hybrid have species-specific marks that lead to differences in their chromatin structure at the pairing stage. The observed effects of pairing failure on gametogenesis have led to the suggestion that, as Spurway anticipated, there is a cellular 'quality control' system in gametocytes that detects and eliminates cells in which pairing is inadequate (Burgoyne and Baker, 1984;Jablonka and Lamb, 1988;Burgoyne and Mahadevaiah, 1993).…”

Section: Epigenetic Inheritance and Genome Organizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In XY males, the Y chromosome in somatic cells is largely heterochromatic, so at meiosis part of the euchromatic X chromosome has no pairing partner; the consequences of pairing failure are avoided because this part of the X becomes heterochromatic. When the female is the heterogametic sex (WZ), the W, which in somatic cell is heterochromatic, becomes partially euchromatic in oogenesis, and thus provides the 2 with a pairing partner (Jablonka and Lamb, 1988). If these processes are impaired, as they are for example with X-autosome translocations, the result in both Drosophila and the mouse is pairing failure and sterility (Miklos, 1974;Burgoyne and Baker, 1984;Rugarli et al, 1995;Palmer et al, 1995).…”

Section: Epigenetic Inheritance and Genome Organizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…ZZ males: since the 2 chromosomes behave in the same way as the autosomes, they will have no special effects on fertility. Jablonka and Lamb (1988). ' Taken from Wu et al (1996); m: cases where only males are inviable/sterile; f: cases where only females are inviable/sterile.…”

Section: Epigenetic Inheritance and Genome Organizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Epigenetic inheritance in evolution

Jablonka

Lamb

1998

J of Evolutionary Biology

168

147

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We discuss the role of cell memory in heredity and evolution. We describe the properties of the epigenetic inheritance systems (EISs) that underlie cell memory and enable environmentally and developmentally induced cell phenotypes to be transmitted in cell lineages, and argue that transgenerational epigenetic inheritance is an important and neglected part of heredity. By looking at the part EISs have played in the evolution of multicellularity, ontogeny, chromosome organization, and the origin of some post-mating isolating mechanisms, we show how considering the role of epigenetic inheritance can sometimes shed light on major evolutionary processes.Most biologists, including ourselves, accept that the theory of evolution developed by Darwin is basically correct: adaptive changes occur through the selection of heritable differences between individuals. What is not generally accepted is Darwin's idea that some of the heritable differences on which selection acts are generated by environmental changes. After all, geneticists have shown how ample new variation can be provided by rare mutations and the shuffling of genes during sexual processes. The ultimate source of variation is the random changes in the sequences of DNA bases that constitute the genes. Since, according to orthodox views, genes pass from generation to generation unaffected by external factors, there is little room in modern evolutionary theory for the idea that the environment can induce heritable changes. Such 'Lamarckian' beliefs are wrong, it is argued, because we know that 'acquired characters' are not inherited. The role of the environment is in the selection, not the generation, of heritable variation. 159

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The evolution of the peculiarities of mammalian sex chromosomes: an epigenetic view

Jablonka

2004

BioEssays

Self Cite

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SummaryIn most discussions of the evolution of sex chromosomes, it is presumed that the morphological differences between the X and Y were initiated by genetic changes. An alternative possibility is that, in the early stages, a key role was played by epigenetic modifications of chromatin structure that did not depend directly on genetic changes. Such modifications could have resulted from spontaneous epimutations at a sex-determining locus or, in mammals, from selection in females for the epigenetic silencing of imprinted regions of the paternally derived sex chromosome. Other features of mammalian sex chromosomes that are easier to explain if the epigenetic dimension of chromosome evolution is considered include the relatively large number of X-linked genes associated with human brain development, and the overrepresentation of spermatogenesis genes on the X. Both may be evolutionary consequences of dosage compensation through X-inactivation.

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Meiotic pairing constraints and the activity of sex chromosomes

Cited by 57 publications

References 54 publications

DNA double strand break repair, chromosome synapsis and transcriptional silencing in meiosis

DNA double strand break repair, chromosome synapsis and transcriptional silencing in meiosis

Epigenetic inheritance in evolution

The evolution of the peculiarities of mammalian sex chromosomes: an epigenetic view

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