Search results for "heterochromatin"

Genomic Changes of Chagas Disease Vector, South America

2004

We analyzed the main karyologic changes that have occurred during the dispersion of Triatoma infestans, the main vector of Chagas disease. We identified two allopatric groups, named Andean and non-Andean. The Andean specimens present C-heterochromatic blocks in most of their 22 chromosomes, whereas non-Andean specimens have only 4-7 autosomes with C-banding. These heterochromatin differences are the likely cause of a striking DNA content variation (approximately 30%) between Andean and non-Andean insects. Our study, together with previous historical and genetic data, suggests that T. infestans was originally a sylvatic species, with large quantities of DNA and heterochromatin, inhabiting th…

Release of Hypoacetylated and Trimethylated Histone H4 Is an Epigenetic Marker of Early Apoptosis

2006

11 p.-5 fig.-1 fig. supl.

NOR regions of polychaete worms of the genus Ophryotrocha studied by chromosome banding techniques and FISH.

2000

This article reports the results of cytogenetic analyses carried out on 10 species of polychaete worms belonging to the genus Ophryotrocha (Dorvilleidae). Nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) were characterized by Ag staining, C-banding, CMA3 staining, and ribosomal fluorescent in situ hybridization (rDNA FISH). Extensive intraspecific variation in NOR number and distribution were observed in O. costlowi, O. sp. macrovifera, O. notoglandulata, O.l. labronica, O. l. pacifica (2n = 6), O. p. puerilis, O. diadema (2n = 8), O. hartmanni, O. gracilis (2n = 10). In O. sp. robusta (2n = 10), Ag-NORs were always located on a single chromosome pair. CMA3 staining suggests a possible trend toward a GC-…

Centromeric heterochromatin and satellite DNA in the Chironomus plumosus species group

1994

Species of the Chironomus plumosus group display significant differences in their amount of centromeric heterochromatin. A tandem-repetitive satellite-like DNA has been isolated from C. plumosus. This DNA accounts for a major part of the centromeric heterochromatin. The DNA element has a Sau3AI restriction site ("Sau elements") and a monomer length of 165 or 166 bp. It is A-T rich (73%) and reveals a moderate DNA curvature, as shown by gel migration and computer analysis. The chromosomal localization and genomic organization of Sau elements were studied in 24 Chironomus species by in situ hybridization and (or) Southern analysis. The DNA is predominantly located in the centromeric regions …

Functional antagonism between histone H3K4 demethylases in vivo

2011

Dynamic regulation of histone modifications is critical during development, and aberrant activity of chromatin-modifying enzymes has been associated with diseases such as cancer. Histone demethylases have been shown to play a key role in eukaryotic gene transcription; however, little is known about how their activities are coordinated in vivo to regulate specific biological processes. In Drosophila, two enzymes, dLsd1 (Drosophila ortholog of lysine-specific demethylase 1) and Lid (little imaginal discs), demethylate histone H3 at Lys 4 (H3K4), a residue whose methylation is associated with actively transcribed genes. Our studies show that compound mutation of Lid and dLsd1 results in increa…

Expression of the genetic suppressor element 24.2 (GSE24.2) decreases DNA damage and oxidative stress in X-linked dyskeratosis congenita cells.

2014

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.-- et al.

The histone deacetylase Rpd3 regulates the heterochromatin structure of Drosophila telomeres

2011

Telomeres are specialized structures at the end of eukaryotic chromosomes that are required to preserve genome integrity, chromosome stability and nuclear architecture. Telomere maintenance and function are established epigenetically in several eukaryotes. However, the exact chromatin enzymatic modifications regulating telomere homeostasis are poorly understood. In Drosophila melanogaster, telomere length and stability are maintained through the retrotransposition of specialized telomeric sequences and by the specific loading of protecting capping proteins, respectively. Here, we show that the loss of the essential and evolutionarily conserved histone deacetylase Rpd3, the homolog of mammal…

Nuclear aggregation of olfactory receptor genes governs their monogenic expression.

2012

SummaryGene positioning and regulation of nuclear architecture are thought to influence gene expression. Here, we show that, in mouse olfactory neurons, silent olfactory receptor (OR) genes from different chromosomes converge in a small number of heterochromatic foci. These foci are OR exclusive and form in a cell-type-specific and differentiation-dependent manner. The aggregation of OR genes is developmentally synchronous with the downregulation of lamin b receptor (LBR) and can be reversed by ectopic expression of LBR in mature olfactory neurons. LBR-induced reorganization of nuclear architecture and disruption of OR aggregates perturbs the singularity of OR transcription and disrupts the…

UbcD1: from telomere capping to global heterochromatin regulation

2012

Expansion of rDNA and pericentromere satellite repeats in the genomes of bank voles Myodes glareolus exposed to environmental radionuclides

2021

Abstract Altered copy number of certain highly repetitive regions of the genome, such as satellite DNA within heterochromatin and ribosomal RNA loci (rDNA), is hypothesized to help safeguard the genome against damage derived from external stressors. We quantified copy number of the 18S rDNA and a pericentromeric satellite DNA (Msat‐160) in bank voles (Myodes glareolus) inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), an area that is contaminated by radionuclides and where organisms are exposed to elevated levels of ionizing radiation. We found a significant increase in 18S rDNA and Msat‐160 content in the genomes of bank voles from contaminated locations within the CEZ compared with animals f…