Comprehensive Chromosome End Remodeling during Programmed DNA Elimination.
Abstract
Germline and somatic genomes are in general the same in a multicellular organism. However, programmed DNA elimination leads to a reduced somatic genome compared to germline cells. Previous work on the parasitic nematode Ascaris demonstrated that programmed DNA elimination encompasses high-fidelity chromosomal breaks and loss of specific genome sequences including a major tandem repeat of 120 bp and ~1,000 germline-expressed genes. However, the precise chromosomal locations of these repeats, breaks regions, and eliminated genes remained unknown. We used PacBio long-read sequencing and chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) to obtain fully assembled chromosomes of Ascaris germline and somatic genomes, enabling a complete chromosomal view of DNA elimination. We found that all 24 germline chromosomes undergo comprehensive chromosome end remodeling with DNA breaks in their subtelomeric regions and loss of distal sequences including the telomeres at both chromosome ends. All new Ascaris somatic chromosome ends are recapped by de novo telomere healing. We provide an ultrastructural analysis of Ascaris DNA elimination and show that eliminated DNA is incorporated into double membrane-bound structures, similar to micronuclei, during telo...Continue Reading
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An autophagosome is the formation of double-membrane vesicles that involve numerous proteins and cytoplasmic components. These double-membrane vesicles are then terminated at the lysosome where they are degraded. Discover the latest research on autophagosomes here.
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Ascariasis is a helminthic infection of global distribution with more than 1.4 billion persons infected throughout the world. Here is the latest research.