Defective Satellite DNA Clustering into Chromocenters Underlies Hybrid Incompatibility in Drosophila
Open access
Date
2021-11Type
- Journal Article
Abstract
Although rapid evolution of pericentromeric satellite DNA repeats is theorized to promote hybrid incompatibility (HI) (Yunis and Yasmineh 1971; Henikoff et al. 2001; Ferree and Barbash 2009; Sawamura 2012; Jagannathan and Yamashita 2017), how divergent repeats affect hybrid cells remains poorly understood. Recently, we demonstrated that sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins cluster satellite DNA from multiple chromosomes into “chromocenters,” thereby bundling chromosomes to maintain the entire genome in a single nucleus (Jagannathan et al. 2018, 2019). Here, we show that ineffective clustering of divergent satellite DNA in the cells of Drosophila hybrids results in chromocenter disruption, associated micronuclei formation, and tissue atrophy. We further demonstrate that previously identified HI factors trigger chromocenter disruption and micronuclei in hybrids, linking their function to a conserved cellular process. Together, we propose a unifying framework that explains how the widely observed satellite DNA divergence between closely related species can cause reproductive isolation. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000517646Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
Molecular Biology and EvolutionVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
Oxford University PressSubject
satellite DNA; chromocenter; hybrid incompatibility; speciationOrganisational unit
09669 - Jagannathan, Madhav / Jagannathan, Madhav
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