Chromosoma

, Volume 119, Issue 1, pp 41–58 | Cite as

Synaptonemal complex stability depends on repressive histone marks of the lateral element-associated repeat sequences

  • Abrahan Hernández-Hernández
  • Rosario Ortiz
  • Ernestina Ubaldo
  • Olga M. Echeverría Martínez
  • Gerardo H. Vázquez-Nin
  • Félix Recillas-Targa
Research Article
First Online:
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Abstract

The synaptonemal complex (SC) is the central key structure for meiosis in organisms undergoing sexual reproduction. During meiotic prophase I, homologous chromosomes exchange genetic information at the time they are attached to the lateral elements by specific DNA sequences. Most of these sequences, so far identified, consist of repeat DNA, which are subject to chromatin structural changes during meiotic prophase I. In this work, we addressed the effect of altering the chromatin structure of repeat DNA sequences mediating anchorage to the lateral elements of the SC. Administration of the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A into live rats caused death of cells in the pachytene stage as well as changes in histone marks along the synaptonemal complex. The most notable effect was partial loss of histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation. Our work describes the epigenetic landscape of lateral element-associated chromatin and reveals a critical role of histone marks in synaptonemal complex integrity.

Keywords

HDAC Inhibition Seminiferous Tubule Synaptonemal Complex Histone Mark Meiotic Prophase 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Notes

Acknowledgments

We thank Sidney Carter, Catherine M. Farrell, and Paul Delgado-Olguín for critical reading of the manuscript and suggestions. We would like to thank members of our research group for stimulating scientific discussions and suggestions. AHH is a fellowship recipient from the Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, CONACyT (181375). This work was supported by grants from the Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal Académico—UNAM (IN209403 and IN214407) and Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología-CONACyT (42653-Q and 58767) to FRT. CONACyT (81213), DGAPA-PAPIIT (IN203308-3) to GHVN. We also acknowledge the excellent technical assistance of Georgina Guerrero Avendaño.

Supplementary material

412_2009_243_Fig15_ESM.jpg (350 kb)
Fig. S1

Experimental strategy for TSA administration in rats. The epithelium seminiferous cycle of the rat takes 29.5 days (29.5d). TSA daily administration started at the preleptotene stage (10.5d), when axial element formation starts, and was continued until 19d, corresponding to the pachytene stage. Rats at 2 months (2mt) after birth (0 dab) were divided into three groups (A, B, and C) of two animals each. Rats in group A were treated with 2.4 mg/kg of TSA, whereas rats in group B were injected only with dilution vehicle, and rats in group C were not treated. Meiotic division I and II finished at day 29.5 (MI and MII). After treatment, rats were sacrificed, and their testes were excised and split to perform the histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy analyses, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. (JPEG 350 kb)

412_2009_243_Fig16_ESM.jpg (648 kb)
Fig. S2

TUNEL assay. A–F Seminiferous tubules of control rats stained with DAPI, B TUNEL assay and C phase-contrast image. D Seminiferous tubules of TSA-treated rats stained with DAPI, E TUNEL assay and F phase-contrast image. The TUNEL assay in E shows more cellular death as compared with the control seminiferous tubule in B. The bar represents 50 μm. G–L Hematoxylin–eosin staining of gonad sections showing cells in different stages of the CSE. G–I Sections of control rats in stages III, IX, and XII of the CSE. J–L Sections of TSA-treated rats in stages III, IX, and XII of the CSE. eP early pachytene; mP mid pachytene; Di diplotene; Z zygotene; 3, 9, 13, and 16 stages of spermiogenesis. Asterisks in K indicate remaining early pachytene cells. The bar corresponds to 10 μm (JPEG 648 kb)

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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag 2009

Authors and Affiliations

  • Abrahan Hernández-Hernández
    • 1
    • 2
  • Rosario Ortiz
    • 1
  • Ernestina Ubaldo
    • 1
  • Olga M. Echeverría Martínez
    • 1
  • Gerardo H. Vázquez-Nin
    • 1
  • Félix Recillas-Targa
    • 2
  1. 1.Laboratorio de Microscopía Electrónica, Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de CienciasUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)México D.F.Mexico
  2. 2.Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Departamento de Genética MolecularUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)México D.F.Mexico

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