Drosophila ERCC1 is required for a subset of MEI-9-dependent meiotic crossovers.
Drosophila MEI-9 is the catalytic subunit of a DNA structure-specific endonuclease required for nucleotide excision repair (NER). The enzymatic activity of this endonuclease during NER requires the presence of a second, noncatalytic subunit called ERCC1. In addition to its role in NER, MEI-9 is required for the generation of most ... meiotic crossovers. To better understand the role of MEI-9 in crossover formation, we report here the characterization of the Drosophila Ercc1 gene. We created an Ercc1 mutant through homologous gene targeting. We find that Ercc1 mutants are identical to mei-9 mutants in sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents, but have a less severe reduction in the number of meiotic crossovers. MEI-9 protein levels are reduced in Ercc1 mutants; however, overexpression of MEI-9 is not sufficient to restore meiotic crossing over in Ercc1 mutants. We conclude that MEI-9 can generate some meiotic crossovers in an ERCC1-independent manner.
Mesh Terms:
Alleles, Animals, Crossing Over, Genetic, DNA Damage, Drosophila, Drosophila Proteins, Endonucleases, Gene Targeting, Genes, Insect, Insect Proteins, Meiosis, Models, Genetic, Mutation, Radiation Tolerance, Recombinant Fusion Proteins, Two-Hybrid System Techniques, Ultraviolet Rays
Alleles, Animals, Crossing Over, Genetic, DNA Damage, Drosophila, Drosophila Proteins, Endonucleases, Gene Targeting, Genes, Insect, Insect Proteins, Meiosis, Models, Genetic, Mutation, Radiation Tolerance, Recombinant Fusion Proteins, Two-Hybrid System Techniques, Ultraviolet Rays
Genetics
Date: Aug. 01, 2005
PubMed ID: 15944364
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