The Drosophila Meiotic Recombination Gene mei-9 Encodes a Homologue of the Yeast Excision Repair Protein Rad1

INVESTIGATIONS

The Drosophila Meiotic Recombination Gene mei-9 Encodes a Homologue of the Yeast Excision Repair Protein Rad1

J. J. Sekelsky, K. S. McKim, G. M. Chin and R. S. Hawley
Section of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, California 95616

Meiotic recombination and DNA repair are mediated by overlapping sets of genes. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, many genes required to repair DNA double-strand breaks are also required for meiotic recombination. In contrast, mutations in genes required for nucleotide excision repair (NER) have no detectable effects on meiotic recombination in S. cerevisiae. The Drosophila melanogaster mei-9 gene is unique among known recombination genes in that it is required for both meiotic recombination and NER. We have analyzed the mei-9 gene at the molecular level and found that it encodes a homologue of the S. cerevisiae excision repair protein Rad1, the probable homologue of mammalian XPF/ERCC4. Hence, the predominant process of meiotic recombination in Drosophila proceeds through a pathway that is at least partially distinct from that of S. cerevisiae, in that it requires an NER protein. The biochemical properties of the Rad1 protein allow us to explain the observation that mei-9 mutants suppress reciprocal exchange without suppressing the frequency of gene conversion.

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				H. Liu, J. K. Jang, J. Graham, K. Nycz, and K. S. McKim Two Genes Required for Meiotic Recombination in Drosophila Are Expressed From a Dicistronic Message Genetics, April 1, 2000; 154(4): 1735 - 1746. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				A. Nicholson, M. Hendrix, S. Jinks-Robertson, and G. F. Crouse Regulation of Mitotic Homeologous Recombination in Yeast: Functions of Mismatch Repair and Nucleotide Excision Repair Genes Genetics, January 1, 2000; 154(1): 133 - 146. [Abstract] [Full Text]

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				J. J. Sekelsky, K. S. McKim, L. Messina, R. L. French, W. D. Hurley, T. Arbel, G. M. Chin, B. Deneen, S. J. Force, K. L. Hari, et al. Identification of Novel Drosophila Meiotic Genes Recovered in a P-Element Screen Genetics, June 1, 1999; 152(2): 529 - 542. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				E. Reynaud, H. Lomelí, M. Vázquez, and M. Zurita The Drosophila melanogaster Homologue of the Xeroderma Pigmentosum D Gene Product Is Located in Euchromatic Regions and Has a Dynamic Response to UV Light-induced Lesions in Polytene Chromosomes Mol. Biol. Cell, April 1, 1999; 10(4): 1191 - 1203. [Abstract] [Full Text]

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				A. Bhui-Kaur, M. F. Goodman, and J. Tower DNA Mismatch Repair Catalyzed by Extracts of Mitotic, Postmitotic, and Senescent Drosophila Tissues and Involvement of mei-9 Gene Function for Full Activity Mol. Cell. Biol., March 1, 1998; 18(3): 1436 - 1443. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				R. G. Sargent, R. L. Rolig, A. E. Kilburn, G. M. Adair, J. H. Wilson, and R. S. Nairn Recombination-dependent deletion formation in mammalian cells deficient in the nucleotide excision repair gene ERCC1 PNAS, November 25, 1997; 94(24): 13122 - 13127. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				I. Kuraoka, W. R. Kobertz, R. R. Ariza, M. Biggerstaff, J. M. Essigmann, and R. D. Wood Repair of an Interstrand DNA Cross-link Initiated by ERCC1-XPF Repair/Recombination Nuclease J. Biol. Chem., August 18, 2000; 275(34): 26632 - 26636. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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