Drora Zenvirth - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Drora Zenvirth
Nature Communications, 2015
Ndd1 activates the Mcm1-Fkh2 transcription factor to transcribe mitotic regulators. The anaphase-... more Ndd1 activates the Mcm1-Fkh2 transcription factor to transcribe mitotic regulators. The anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome activated by Cdh1 (APC/C(Cdh1)) mediates the degradation of proteins throughout G1. Here we show that the APC/C(Cdh1) ubiquitinates Ndd1 and mediates its degradation, and that APC/C(Cdh1) activity suppresses accumulation of Ndd1 targets. We confirm putative Ndd1 targets and identify novel ones, many of them APC/C(Cdh1) substrates. The APC/C(Cdh1) thus regulates these proteins in a dual manner-both pretranscriptionally and post-translationally, forming a multi-layered feedforward loop (FFL). We predict by mathematical modelling and verify experimentally that this FFL introduces a lag between APC/C(Cdh1) inactivation at the end of G1 and accumulation of genes transcribed by Ndd1 in G2. This regulation generates two classes of APC/C(Cdh1) substrates, early ones that accumulate in S and late ones that accumulate in G2. Our results show how the dual state APC/C(Cdh1) activity is converted into multiple outputs by interactions between its substrates.
Abstract We present a scheme for locating double-strand breaks (DSBs) in meiotic chromosomes of S... more Abstract We present a scheme for locating double-strand breaks (DSBs) in meiotic chromosomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, based on the separation of large DNA molecules by pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Using a rad50S mutant, in which DSBs are ...
Genome biology, 2007
Spore germination in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a process in which non-dividing haploi... more Spore germination in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a process in which non-dividing haploid spores re-enter the mitotic cell cycle and resume vegetative growth. To study the signals and pathways underlying spore germination we examined the global changes in gene expression and followed cell-cycle and germination markers during this process. We find that the germination process can be divided into two distinct stages. During the first stage, the induced spores respond only to glucose. The transcription program during this stage recapitulates the general transcription response of yeast cells to glucose. Only during the second phase are the cells able to sense and respond to other nutritional components in the environment. Components of the mitotic machinery are involved in spore germination but in a distinct pattern. In contrast to the mitotic cell cycle, growth-related events during germination are not coordinated with nuclear events and are separately regulated. Thus, genes t...
Genetics, 1993
A multicopy plasmid was isolated from a yeast genomic library, whose presence resulted in a twofo... more A multicopy plasmid was isolated from a yeast genomic library, whose presence resulted in a twofold increase in meiotic nondisjunction of chromosome III. The plasmid contains a 7.5-kb insert from the middle of the right arm of chromosome III, including the gene THR4. Using chromosomal fragments derived from chromosome III, we determined that the cloned region caused a significant, specific, cis-acting increase in chromosome III nondisjunction in the first meiotic division. The plasmid containing this segment exhibited high spontaneous meiotic integration into chromosome III (in 2.4% of the normal meiotic divisions) and a sixfold increase (15.5%) in integration in nondisjunctant meioses. Genetic analysis of the cloned region revealed that it contains a "hot spot" for meiotic recombination. In DNA of rad50S mutant cells, a strong meiosis-induced double strand break (DSB) signal was detected in this region. We discuss the possible relationships between meiosis-induced DSBs, r...
Background: Meiosis in budding yeast is coupled to the process of sporulation, where the four hap... more Background: Meiosis in budding yeast is coupled to the process of sporulation, where the four haploid nuclei are packaged into a gamete. This differentiation process is characterized by a point of transition, termed commitment, when it becomes independent of the environment. Not much is known about the mechanisms underlying commitment, but it is often assumed that positive feedback loops stabilize
The EMBO Journal, 1999
In the mitotic cell cycle of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the sister chromatid is preferre... more In the mitotic cell cycle of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the sister chromatid is preferred over the homologous chromosome (non-sister chromatid) as a substrate for DNA double-strand break repair. However, no genes have yet been shown to be preferentially involved in sister chromatid-mediated repair. We developed a novel method to identify genes that are required for repair by the sister chromatid, using a haploid strain that can embark on meiosis. We show that the recombinational repair gene RAD54 is required primarily for sister chromatid-based repair, whereas TID1, a yeast RAD54 homologue, and the meiotic gene DMC1, are dispensable for this type of repair. Our observations suggest that the sister chromatid repair pathway, which involves RAD54, and the homologous chromosome repair pathway, which involves DMC1, can substitute for one another under some circumstances. Deletion of RAD54 in S.cerevisiae results in a phenotype similar to that found in mammalian cells, namely impaired DNA repair and reduced recombination during mitotic growth, with no apparent effect on meiosis. The principal role of RAD54 in sister chromatid-based repair may also be shared by mammalian and yeast cells.
PLoS Genetics, 2005
Quantitative traits are conditioned by several genetic determinants. Since such genes influence m... more Quantitative traits are conditioned by several genetic determinants. Since such genes influence many important complex traits in various organisms, the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) is of major interest, but still encounters serious difficulties. We detected four linked genes within one QTL, which participate in controlling sporulation efficiency in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Following the identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms by comparing the sequences of 145 genes between the parental strains SK1 and S288c, we analyzed the segregating progeny of the cross between them. Through reciprocal hemizygosity analysis, four genes, RAS2, PMS1, SWS2, and FKH2, located in a region of 60 kilobases on Chromosome 14, were found to be associated with sporulation efficiency. Three of the four ''high'' sporulation alleles are derived from the ''low'' sporulating strain. Two of these sporulationrelated genes were verified through allele replacements. For RAS2, the causative variation was suggested to be a single nucleotide difference in the upstream region of the gene. This quantitative trait nucleotide accounts for sporulation variability among a set of ten closely related winery yeast strains. Our results provide a detailed view of genetic complexity in one ''QTL region'' that controls a quantitative trait and reports a single nucleotide polymorphism-trait association in wild strains. Moreover, these findings have implications on QTL identification in higher eukaryotes.
Molecular Genetics and Genomics, 2009
Synapsis of homologs during meiotic prophase I is associated with a protein complex built along t... more Synapsis of homologs during meiotic prophase I is associated with a protein complex built along the bivalents--the synaptonemal complex (SC). Mutations in the SC-component gene ZIP1 diminish SC formation, leading to reduced recombination levels and low spore viability. Here we show that in SK1 strains heterozygous for a deletion of ZIP1 in certain regions meiotic interference are impaired with no decrease in recombination levels. The extent of synapsis is over all reduced and NDJ levels of a large endogenous chromosome and of artificial chromosomes (YACs) rise to twice the level of wild type strains. A substantial proportion of mis-segregating YACs had undergone crossing over. This demonstrates that different functions of Zip1 display differential sensitivities to changes in expression levels.
Heredity, 2005
We examined the efficacy of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for the assessment of th... more We examined the efficacy of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for the assessment of the phylogeny and biodiversity of Saccharomyces strains. Each of 32 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains was genotyped at 30 SNP loci discovered by sequence alignment of the S. cerevisiae laboratory strain SK1 to the database sequence of strain S288c. In total, 10 SNPs were selected from each of the following three categories: promoter regions, nonsynonymous and synonymous sites (in open reading frames). The strains in this study included 11 haploid laboratory strains used for genetic studies and 21 diploids. Three non-cerevisiae species of Saccharomyces (sensu stricto) were used as an out-group. A Bayesian clustering-algorithm, Structure, effectively identified four different strain groups: laboratory, wine, other diploids and the non-cerevisiae species. Analysing haploid and diploid strains together caused problems for phylogeny reconstruction, but not for the clustering produced by Structure. The ascertainment bias introduced by the SNP discovery method caused difficulty in the phylogenetic analysis; alternative options are proposed. A smaller data set, comprising only the nine most polymorphic loci, was sufficient to obtain most features of the results. Heredity (2005) 95, 493-501.
Genes to Cells, 1997
Background: When Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells that have begun meiosis are transferred to mitoti... more Background: When Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells that have begun meiosis are transferred to mitotic growth conditions ('return-to-growth', RTG), they can complete recombination at high meiotic frequencies, but undergo mitotic cell division and remain diploid. It was not known how meiotic recombination intermediates are repaired following RTG. Using molecular and cytological methods, we investigated whether the usual meiotic apparatus could repair meiotically induced DSBs during RTG, or whether other mechanisms are invoked when the developmental context changes.
Chromosoma, 2003
Meiotic recombination in yeast is initiated at DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), processed into 3&... more Meiotic recombination in yeast is initiated at DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), processed into 3' single-strand overhangs that are active in homology search, repair and formation of recombinant molecules. Are 3' overhangs recombination intermediaries in mouse germ cells too? To answer this question we developed a novel approach based on the properties of the Klenow enzyme. We carried out two different, successive in situ Klenow enzyme-based reactions on sectioned preparations of testicular tubules. Signals showing 3' overhangs were observed during wild-type mouse spermatogenesis, but not in Spo11(-/-) males, which lack meiotic DSBs. In Atm(-/-) mice, abundant positively stained spermatocytes were present, indicating an accumulation of non-repaired DSBs, suggesting the involvement of ATM in repair of meiotic DSBs. Thus the processing of DSBs into 3' overhangs is common to meiotic cells in mammals and yeast, and probably in all eukaryotes.
Nature Communications, 2015
Ndd1 activates the Mcm1-Fkh2 transcription factor to transcribe mitotic regulators. The anaphase-... more Ndd1 activates the Mcm1-Fkh2 transcription factor to transcribe mitotic regulators. The anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome activated by Cdh1 (APC/C(Cdh1)) mediates the degradation of proteins throughout G1. Here we show that the APC/C(Cdh1) ubiquitinates Ndd1 and mediates its degradation, and that APC/C(Cdh1) activity suppresses accumulation of Ndd1 targets. We confirm putative Ndd1 targets and identify novel ones, many of them APC/C(Cdh1) substrates. The APC/C(Cdh1) thus regulates these proteins in a dual manner-both pretranscriptionally and post-translationally, forming a multi-layered feedforward loop (FFL). We predict by mathematical modelling and verify experimentally that this FFL introduces a lag between APC/C(Cdh1) inactivation at the end of G1 and accumulation of genes transcribed by Ndd1 in G2. This regulation generates two classes of APC/C(Cdh1) substrates, early ones that accumulate in S and late ones that accumulate in G2. Our results show how the dual state APC/C(Cdh1) activity is converted into multiple outputs by interactions between its substrates.
Abstract We present a scheme for locating double-strand breaks (DSBs) in meiotic chromosomes of S... more Abstract We present a scheme for locating double-strand breaks (DSBs) in meiotic chromosomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, based on the separation of large DNA molecules by pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Using a rad50S mutant, in which DSBs are ...
Genome biology, 2007
Spore germination in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a process in which non-dividing haploi... more Spore germination in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a process in which non-dividing haploid spores re-enter the mitotic cell cycle and resume vegetative growth. To study the signals and pathways underlying spore germination we examined the global changes in gene expression and followed cell-cycle and germination markers during this process. We find that the germination process can be divided into two distinct stages. During the first stage, the induced spores respond only to glucose. The transcription program during this stage recapitulates the general transcription response of yeast cells to glucose. Only during the second phase are the cells able to sense and respond to other nutritional components in the environment. Components of the mitotic machinery are involved in spore germination but in a distinct pattern. In contrast to the mitotic cell cycle, growth-related events during germination are not coordinated with nuclear events and are separately regulated. Thus, genes t...
Genetics, 1993
A multicopy plasmid was isolated from a yeast genomic library, whose presence resulted in a twofo... more A multicopy plasmid was isolated from a yeast genomic library, whose presence resulted in a twofold increase in meiotic nondisjunction of chromosome III. The plasmid contains a 7.5-kb insert from the middle of the right arm of chromosome III, including the gene THR4. Using chromosomal fragments derived from chromosome III, we determined that the cloned region caused a significant, specific, cis-acting increase in chromosome III nondisjunction in the first meiotic division. The plasmid containing this segment exhibited high spontaneous meiotic integration into chromosome III (in 2.4% of the normal meiotic divisions) and a sixfold increase (15.5%) in integration in nondisjunctant meioses. Genetic analysis of the cloned region revealed that it contains a "hot spot" for meiotic recombination. In DNA of rad50S mutant cells, a strong meiosis-induced double strand break (DSB) signal was detected in this region. We discuss the possible relationships between meiosis-induced DSBs, r...
Background: Meiosis in budding yeast is coupled to the process of sporulation, where the four hap... more Background: Meiosis in budding yeast is coupled to the process of sporulation, where the four haploid nuclei are packaged into a gamete. This differentiation process is characterized by a point of transition, termed commitment, when it becomes independent of the environment. Not much is known about the mechanisms underlying commitment, but it is often assumed that positive feedback loops stabilize
The EMBO Journal, 1999
In the mitotic cell cycle of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the sister chromatid is preferre... more In the mitotic cell cycle of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the sister chromatid is preferred over the homologous chromosome (non-sister chromatid) as a substrate for DNA double-strand break repair. However, no genes have yet been shown to be preferentially involved in sister chromatid-mediated repair. We developed a novel method to identify genes that are required for repair by the sister chromatid, using a haploid strain that can embark on meiosis. We show that the recombinational repair gene RAD54 is required primarily for sister chromatid-based repair, whereas TID1, a yeast RAD54 homologue, and the meiotic gene DMC1, are dispensable for this type of repair. Our observations suggest that the sister chromatid repair pathway, which involves RAD54, and the homologous chromosome repair pathway, which involves DMC1, can substitute for one another under some circumstances. Deletion of RAD54 in S.cerevisiae results in a phenotype similar to that found in mammalian cells, namely impaired DNA repair and reduced recombination during mitotic growth, with no apparent effect on meiosis. The principal role of RAD54 in sister chromatid-based repair may also be shared by mammalian and yeast cells.
PLoS Genetics, 2005
Quantitative traits are conditioned by several genetic determinants. Since such genes influence m... more Quantitative traits are conditioned by several genetic determinants. Since such genes influence many important complex traits in various organisms, the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) is of major interest, but still encounters serious difficulties. We detected four linked genes within one QTL, which participate in controlling sporulation efficiency in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Following the identification of single nucleotide polymorphisms by comparing the sequences of 145 genes between the parental strains SK1 and S288c, we analyzed the segregating progeny of the cross between them. Through reciprocal hemizygosity analysis, four genes, RAS2, PMS1, SWS2, and FKH2, located in a region of 60 kilobases on Chromosome 14, were found to be associated with sporulation efficiency. Three of the four ''high'' sporulation alleles are derived from the ''low'' sporulating strain. Two of these sporulationrelated genes were verified through allele replacements. For RAS2, the causative variation was suggested to be a single nucleotide difference in the upstream region of the gene. This quantitative trait nucleotide accounts for sporulation variability among a set of ten closely related winery yeast strains. Our results provide a detailed view of genetic complexity in one ''QTL region'' that controls a quantitative trait and reports a single nucleotide polymorphism-trait association in wild strains. Moreover, these findings have implications on QTL identification in higher eukaryotes.
Molecular Genetics and Genomics, 2009
Synapsis of homologs during meiotic prophase I is associated with a protein complex built along t... more Synapsis of homologs during meiotic prophase I is associated with a protein complex built along the bivalents--the synaptonemal complex (SC). Mutations in the SC-component gene ZIP1 diminish SC formation, leading to reduced recombination levels and low spore viability. Here we show that in SK1 strains heterozygous for a deletion of ZIP1 in certain regions meiotic interference are impaired with no decrease in recombination levels. The extent of synapsis is over all reduced and NDJ levels of a large endogenous chromosome and of artificial chromosomes (YACs) rise to twice the level of wild type strains. A substantial proportion of mis-segregating YACs had undergone crossing over. This demonstrates that different functions of Zip1 display differential sensitivities to changes in expression levels.
Heredity, 2005
We examined the efficacy of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for the assessment of th... more We examined the efficacy of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for the assessment of the phylogeny and biodiversity of Saccharomyces strains. Each of 32 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains was genotyped at 30 SNP loci discovered by sequence alignment of the S. cerevisiae laboratory strain SK1 to the database sequence of strain S288c. In total, 10 SNPs were selected from each of the following three categories: promoter regions, nonsynonymous and synonymous sites (in open reading frames). The strains in this study included 11 haploid laboratory strains used for genetic studies and 21 diploids. Three non-cerevisiae species of Saccharomyces (sensu stricto) were used as an out-group. A Bayesian clustering-algorithm, Structure, effectively identified four different strain groups: laboratory, wine, other diploids and the non-cerevisiae species. Analysing haploid and diploid strains together caused problems for phylogeny reconstruction, but not for the clustering produced by Structure. The ascertainment bias introduced by the SNP discovery method caused difficulty in the phylogenetic analysis; alternative options are proposed. A smaller data set, comprising only the nine most polymorphic loci, was sufficient to obtain most features of the results. Heredity (2005) 95, 493-501.
Genes to Cells, 1997
Background: When Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells that have begun meiosis are transferred to mitoti... more Background: When Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells that have begun meiosis are transferred to mitotic growth conditions ('return-to-growth', RTG), they can complete recombination at high meiotic frequencies, but undergo mitotic cell division and remain diploid. It was not known how meiotic recombination intermediates are repaired following RTG. Using molecular and cytological methods, we investigated whether the usual meiotic apparatus could repair meiotically induced DSBs during RTG, or whether other mechanisms are invoked when the developmental context changes.
Chromosoma, 2003
Meiotic recombination in yeast is initiated at DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), processed into 3&... more Meiotic recombination in yeast is initiated at DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), processed into 3' single-strand overhangs that are active in homology search, repair and formation of recombinant molecules. Are 3' overhangs recombination intermediaries in mouse germ cells too? To answer this question we developed a novel approach based on the properties of the Klenow enzyme. We carried out two different, successive in situ Klenow enzyme-based reactions on sectioned preparations of testicular tubules. Signals showing 3' overhangs were observed during wild-type mouse spermatogenesis, but not in Spo11(-/-) males, which lack meiotic DSBs. In Atm(-/-) mice, abundant positively stained spermatocytes were present, indicating an accumulation of non-repaired DSBs, suggesting the involvement of ATM in repair of meiotic DSBs. Thus the processing of DSBs into 3' overhangs is common to meiotic cells in mammals and yeast, and probably in all eukaryotes.