Nucleosomes and DNA methylation shape meiotic DSB frequency in Arabidopsis thaliana transposons and gene regulatory regions

Choi, K., Zhao, X., Tock, A. J., Lambing, C., Underwood, C. J., Hardcastle, T. J., Serra, H., Kim, J., Cho, H. S., Kim, J., Ziolkowski, P. A., Yelina, N. E., Hwang, I., Martienssen, R. A., Henderson, I. R. (April 2018) Nucleosomes and DNA methylation shape meiotic DSB frequency in Arabidopsis thaliana transposons and gene regulatory regions. Genome Res, 28 (4). pp. 532-546. ISSN 1088-9051

URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29530928
DOI: 10.1101/gr.225599.117

Abstract

Meiotic recombination initiates from DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) generated by SPO11 topoisomerase-like complexes. Meiotic DSB frequency varies extensively along eukaryotic chromosomes, with hotspots controlled by chromatin and DNA sequence. To map meiotic DSBs throughout a plant genome, we purified and sequenced Arabidopsis thaliana SPO11-1-oligonucleotides. SPO11-1-oligos are elevated in gene promoters, terminators, and introns, which is driven by AT-sequence richness that excludes nucleosomes and allows SPO11-1 access. A positive relationship was observed between SPO11-1-oligos and crossovers genome-wide, although fine-scale correlations were weaker. This may reflect the influence of interhomolog polymorphism on crossover formation, downstream from DSB formation. Although H3K4me3 is enriched in proximity to SPO11-1-oligo hotspots at gene 5' ends, H3K4me3 levels do not correlate with DSBs. Repetitive transposons are thought to be recombination silenced during meiosis, to prevent nonallelic interactions and genome instability. Unexpectedly, we found high SPO11-1-oligo levels in nucleosome-depleted Helitron/Pogo/Tc1/Mariner DNA transposons, whereas retrotransposons were coldspots. High SPO11-1-oligo transposons are enriched within gene regulatory regions and in proximity to immunity genes, suggesting a role as recombination enhancers. As transposon mobility in plant genomes is restricted by DNA methylation, we used the met1 DNA methyltransferase mutant to investigate the role of heterochromatin in SPO11-1-oligo distributions. Epigenetic activation of meiotic DSBs in proximity to centromeres and transposons occurred in met1 mutants, coincident with reduced nucleosome occupancy, gain of transcription, and H3K4me3. Together, our work reveals a complex relationship between chromatin and meiotic DSBs within A. thaliana genes and transposons, with significance for the diversity and evolution of plant genomes.

Item Type: Paper
Subjects: organism description > plant > Arabidopsis
bioinformatics
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > DNA methylation
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > epigenetics
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > epigenetics
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > genes, structure and function > gene regulation
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > genes, structure and function > gene regulation
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > genes, structure and function
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > organelles, types and functions > meiosis
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > nucleosome
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions > organelles, types and functions
organs, tissues, organelles, cell types and functions
organism description > plant
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > transposons
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Martienssen lab
School of Biological Sciences > Publications
Depositing User: Matt Covey
Date: April 2018
Date Deposited: 16 Mar 2018 18:55
Last Modified: 20 Feb 2024 16:48
PMCID: PMC5880243
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/36278

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