IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NOVEL DROSOPHILA GERMLINE GENES

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Early programming of the oocyte epigenome temporally controls late prophase I transcription and chromatin remodelling

Publication . Navarro-Costa, Paulo; McCarthy, Alicia; Prudêncio, Pedro; Greer, Christina; Guilgur, Leonardo G.; Becker, Jörg D.; Secombe, Julie; Rangan, Prashanth; Martinho, Rui G.

Oocytes are arrested for long periods of time in the prophase of the first meiotic division (prophase I). As chromosome condensation poses significant constraints to gene expression, the mechanisms regulating transcriptional activity in the prophase I-arrested oocyte are still not entirely understood. We hypothesized that gene expression during the prophase I arrest is primarily epigenetically regulated. Here we comprehensively define the Drosophila female germ line epigenome throughout oogenesis and show that the oocyte has a unique, dynamic and remarkably diversified epigenome characterized by the presence of both euchromatic and heterochromatic marks. We observed that the perturbation of the oocyte's epigenome in early oogenesis, through depletion of the dKDM5 histone demethylase, results in the temporal deregulation of meiotic transcription and affects female fertility. Taken together, our results indicate that the early programming of the oocyte epigenome primes meiotic chromatin for subsequent functions in late prophase I.

2016-08-10Journal article

Open access

Evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of male germline development in flowering plants and animals

Publication . Pereira, Patrícia A.; Navarro-Costa, Paulo; Martinho, Rui Gonçalo; Becker, Jörg D.

Sexual reproduction is the main reproductive strategy of the overwhelming majority of eukaryotes. This suggests that the last eukaryotic common ancestor was able to reproduce sexually. Sexual reproduction reflects the ability to perform meiosis, and ultimately generating gametes, which are cells that carry recombined half sets of the parental genome and are able to fertilize. These functions have been allocated to a highly specialized cell lineage: the germline. Given its significant evolutionary conservation, it is to be expected that the germline programme shares common molecular bases across extremely divergent eukaryotic species. In the present review, we aim to identify the unifying principles of male germline establishment and development by comparing two very disparate kingdoms: plants and animals. We argue that male meiosis defines two temporally regulated gene expression programmes: the first is required for meiotic commitment, and the second is required for the acquisition of fertilizing ability. Small RNA pathways are a further key communality, ultimately ensuring the epigenetic stability of the information conveyed by the male germline.

2014-04-01Journal article

Open access