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Coprinus cinereus Mer3 is required for synaptonemal complex formation during meiosis

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Abstract

Mer3 is an evolutionarily conserved DNA helicase that has crucial roles in meiotic recombination and crossover formation. We have identified the MER3 homolog in Coprinus cinereus (Ccmer3) and show that it is expressed in zygotene and pachytene meiocytes. Immunostaining analysis indicated that CcMer3 was localized on chromosomes at zygotene and pachytene and CcMer3 foci were more frequent on paired than unpaired chromosomes. We generated a C. cinereus mer3 mutant (#1) and found that it showed abnormal meiosis progression and underwent apoptosis after prophase I. Basidiospore production in #1 was reduced to 0.8% of the wild-type level; the spores showed slower germination at 25°C but were similar to the wild type at 37°C. Electron microscopic analysis of chromosome spreads revealed that axial elements were formed in the mutant but that synapsis was defective, resulting in a reduction in spore production. Our results demonstrate that CcMer3 is required for synaptonemal complex formation after axial elements align and is thus essential for homologous synapsis.

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Acknowledgements

We thank T. Kamada for support and technical guidance with the transformation method, Y. Kondo for help with the electron microscopy, and P.J. Pukkila and M.E. Zolan for the gift of the AmutBmut strain and for technical guidance with the electron microscopy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda, Chiba, 278-8510, Japan

    Hiroko Sugawara, Kazuki Iwabata, Akiyo Koshiyama, Takuro Yanai, Yoko Daikuhara, Satoshi H. Namekawa, Fumika N. Hamada & Kengo Sakaguchi

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  1. Hiroko Sugawara
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  2. Kazuki Iwabata
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  3. Akiyo Koshiyama
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  6. Satoshi H. Namekawa
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  7. Fumika N. Hamada
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  8. Kengo Sakaguchi
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Correspondence to Kengo Sakaguchi.

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Communicated by S. Keeney.

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Sugawara, H., Iwabata, K., Koshiyama, A. et al. Coprinus cinereus Mer3 is required for synaptonemal complex formation during meiosis. Chromosoma 118, 127–139 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00412-008-0185-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00412-008-0185-1

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