Holokinetic centromeres and efficient telomere healing enable rapid karyotype evolution

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Authors

JANKOWSKA Maja FUCHS Joerg KLOCKE Evelyn FOJTOVÁ Miloslava SOVÁKOVÁ Pavla FAJKUS Jiří SCHUBERT Veit HOUBEN Andreas Manfred

Year of publication 2015
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Chromosoma
MU Faculty or unit

Central European Institute of Technology

Citation
Web http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/859/art%253A10.1007%252Fs00412-015-0524-y.pdf?originUrl=http%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Farticle%2F10.1007%2Fs00412-015-0524-y&token2=exp=1456303136~acl=%2Fstatic%2Fpdf%2F859%2Fart%25253A10.1007%25252Fs00412-015-05
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00412-015-0524-y
Field Biochemistry
Keywords Chromosome fusion and fission; De novo telomere synthesis; Holocentric chromosome; Holocentric genome evolution; Luzula elegans
Attached files
Description Species with holocentric chromosomes are often characterized by a rapid karyotype evolution. In contrast to species with monocentric chromosomes where acentric fragments are lost during cell division, breakage of holocentric chromosomes creates fragments with normal centromere activity. To decipher the mechanism that allows holocentric species an accelerated karyotype evolution via chromosome breakage, we analyzed the chromosome complements of irradiated Luzula elegans plants. The resulting chromosomal fragments and rearranged chromosomes revealed holocentromere-typical CENH3 and histone H2AThr120ph signals as well as the same mitotic mobility like unfragmented chromosomes. Newly synthesized telomeres at break points become detectable 3 weeks after irradiation. The presence of active telomerase suggests a telomerase-based mechanism of chromosome healing. A successful transmission of holocentric chromosome fragments across different generations was found for most offspring of irradiated plants. Hence, a combination of holokinetic centromere activity and the fast formation of new telomeres at break points enables holocentric species a rapid karyotype evolution involving chromosome fissions and rearrangements.
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