Biology subjects

Habig, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Habig, M..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2018

Meiotic drive of female-inherited supernumerary chromosomes in a pathogenic fungus

Meiosis is a key cellular process of sexual reproduction involving the pairing of homologous sequences. In many species however, meiosis can also involve the segregation of supernumerary chromosomes, which can lack a homolog. How these unpaired chromosomes undergo meiosis is largely unknown. In this study we investigated chromosome segregation during meiosis in the haploid fungus Zymoseptoria tritici that possesses a large complement of supernumerary chromosomes. We used isogenic whole chromosome deletion strains to compare meiotic transmission of chromosomes when paired and unpaired. Unpaired chromosomes inherited from the male parent as well as paired supernumerary chromosomes showed Mendelian inheritance. In contrast, unpaired chromosomes inherited from the female parent showed non-Mendelian inheritance but were amplified and transmitted to all meiotic products. We concluded that the supernumerary chromosomes of Z. tritici show a meiotic drive and propose an additional feedback mechanism during meiosis which initiates amplification of unpaired female-inherited chromosomes.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Extraordinary genome instability and widespread chromosome rearrangements during vegetative growth

The haploid genome of the pathogenic fungus Zymoseptoria tritici is contained on \"core\" and \"accessory\" chromosomes. While 13 core chromosomes are found in all strains, as many as eight accessory chromosomes show presence/absence variation and rearrangements among field isolates. We investigated chromosome stability using experimental evolution, karyotyping and genome sequencing. We report extremely high and variable rates of accessory chromosome loss during mitotic propagation in vitro and in planta. Spontaneous chromosome loss was observed in 2 to >50 % of cells during four weeks of incubation. Similar rates of chromosome loss in the closely related Z. ardabiliae suggest that this extreme chromosome dynamic is a conserved phenomenon in the genus. Elevating the incubation temperature greatly increases instability of accessory and even core chromosomes, causing severe rearrangements involving telomere fusion and chromosome breakage. Chromosome losses do not impact the fitness of Z. tritici in vitro, but some lead to increased virulence suggesting an adaptive role of this extraordinary chromosome instability.

genomics↗