Genetics, Vol. 153, 1271-1283, November 1999, Copyright © 1999

Crossing Over During Caenorhabditis elegans Meiosis Requires a Conserved MutS-Based Pathway That Is Partially Dispensable in Budding Yeast

Jonathan Zalevskya, Amy J. MacQueena, Joseph B. Duffyb, Kenneth J. Kemphuesb, and Anne M. Villeneuvea
a Department of Developmental Biology and Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305
b Section of Genetics and Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853

Corresponding author: Anne M. Villeneuve, Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 279 Campus Dr., Beckman Center, B300, Stanford, CA 94305-5329., villen{at}cmgm.stanford.edu (E-mail)

Communicating editor: R. K. HERMAN

Formation of crossovers between homologous chromosomes during Caenorhabditis elegans meiosis requires the him-14 gene. Loss of him-14 function severely reduces crossing over, resulting in lack of chiasmata between homologs and consequent missegregation. Cytological analysis showing that homologs are paired and aligned in him-14 pachytene nuclei, together with temperature-shift experiments showing that him-14 functions during the pachytene stage, indicate that him-14 is not needed to establish pairing or synapsis and likely has a more direct role in crossover formation. him-14 encodes a germline-specific member of the MutS family of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) proteins. him-14 has no apparent role in MMR, but like its Saccharomyces cerevisiae ortholog MSH4, has a specialized role in promoting crossing over during meiosis. Despite this conservation, worms and yeast differ significantly in their reliance on this pathway: whereas worms use this pathway to generate most, if not all, crossovers, yeast still form 30–50% of their normal number of crossovers when this pathway is absent. This differential reliance may reflect differential stability of crossover-competent recombination intermediates, or alternatively, the presence of two different pathways for crossover formation in yeast, only one of which predominates during nematode meiosis. We discuss a model in which HIM-14 promotes crossing over by interfering with Holliday junction branch migration.




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