Genetics. Published Articles Ahead of Print: September 15, 2006, Copyright © 2006
doi:10.1534/genetics.106.063818


A more recent version of this article appeared on November 1, 2006.

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Linear element-independent meiotic recombination in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Jennifer Louise Wells 1, David Warren Pryce 1, Anna Estreicher 2, Josef Loidl 2 and Ramsay James McFarlane 1*

1 North West Cancer Research Fund Institute
2 University of Vienna

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ramsay{at}sbs.bangor.ac.uk.

Submitted on July 21, 2006
Revised on July 31, 2006
Accepted on 24 August 2006


Abstract

Most organisms form a protein rich, linear, ladder-like structures associated with chromosomes during early meiosis, the synaptonemal complex. In Schizosaccharomyces pombe, linear elements (LinEs) are thread-like, proteinacious chromosome-associated structures that form during early meiosis. LinEs are related to axial elements, the synaptonemal complex precursors of other organisms. Previous studies have lead to the suggestion that axial structures are essential to mediate meiotic recombination. Rec10 protein is a major component of S. pombe LinEs and is required for their development. In this current report we study recombination in a number of rec10 mutants, one of which (rec10-155) does not form LinEs, but is predicted to encode a truncated Rec10 protein. This mutant has levels of crossing over and gene conversion substantially higher than a rec10 null mutant (rec10-175) and forms cytologically detectable Rad51 foci indicative of meiotic recombination intermediates. These data demonstrate that whilst Rec10 is required for meiotic recombination, substantial meiotic recombination can occur in rec10 mutants which do not form LinEs indicating LinEs per se are not essential for all meiotic recombination.

Key Words: Fission yeast, Genetic recombination, Linear elements, Meiosis, Rec10