Overlapping and separable activities of BRA-2 and HIM-17
promote occurrence and regulation of pairing and synapsis
during Caenorhabditis elegans meiosis

J 2025

Overlapping and separable activities of BRA-2 and HIM-17 promote occurrence and regulation of pairing and synapsis during Caenorhabditis elegans meiosis

BLAŽÍČKOVÁ, Jitka; Shalini TRIVEDI; Richard BOWMAN; Sowmya Sivakumar GEETHA; Silma SUBAH et. al.

Basic information

Original name

Overlapping and separable activities of BRA-2 and HIM-17 promote occurrence and regulation of pairing and synapsis during Caenorhabditis elegans meiosis

Authors

BLAŽÍČKOVÁ, Jitka (203 Czech Republic, belonging to the institution); Shalini TRIVEDI (356 India, belonging to the institution); Richard BOWMAN; Sowmya Sivakumar GEETHA; Silma SUBAH; Michelle SCUZZARELLA; Alexander CHANG; Uma R CHANDRAN; Judith L YANOWITZ; Sarit SMOLIKOVE; Verena JANTSCH; Monique ZETKA and Nicola SILVA (380 Italy, belonging to the institution)

Edition

Nature Communications, Berlin, Nature Research, 2025, 2041-1723

Other information

Language

English

Type of outcome

Article in a journal

Field of Study

10608 Biochemistry and molecular biology

Country of publisher

Germany

Confidentiality degree

is not subject to a state or trade secret

References:

URL

Impact factor

Impact factor: 14.700 in 2023

Organization unit

Faculty of Medicine

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57862-y

UT WoS

001445062800033

EID Scopus

2-s2.0-105000115678

Keywords in English

BRA-2; HIM-17; meiosis; pairing; synapsis

Abstract

V originále

Faithful meiotic segregation requires pairwise alignment of the homologous chromosomes and their synaptonemal complex (SC) mediated stabilization. Here, we investigate factors that promote and coordinate these events during C. elegans meiosis. We identify BRA-2 (BMP Receptor Associated family member 2) as an interactor of HIM-17, previously shown to promote double-strand break formation. We found that loss of bra-2 impairs synapsis elongation without affecting homolog recognition, chromosome movement or SC maintenance. Epistasis analyses reveal previously unrecognized activities for HIM-17 in regulating homolog pairing and SC assembly in a partially overlapping manner with BRA-2. We show that removing bra-2 or him-17 restores nuclear clustering, recruitment of PLK-2 at the nuclear periphery, and abrogation of ectopic synapsis in htp-1 mutants, suggesting intact CHK-2-mediated signaling and presence of a barrier that prevents SC polymerization in the absence of homology. Our findings shed light on the regulatory mechanisms ensuring faithful pairing and synapsis.

Links

GA23-04918S, research and development project

Name: Mechanismus založený na modifikaci chromatinu osvětluje novou dráhu pro vytvoření meiotické synapse chromozomů

Investor: Czech Science Foundation, A Chromatin Modification-mediated Mechanism Illuminates a Novel Pathway for the Establishment of Meiotic Chromosome Synapsis

LM2023042, research and development project

Name: Česká infrastruktura pro integrativní strukturní biologii

Investor: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the CR, CIISB - Czech Infrastructure for Integrative Structural Biology

LM2023050, research and development project

Name: Národní infrastruktura pro biologické a medicínské zobrazování

Investor: Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the CR, Czech BioImaging: National research infrastructure for biological and medical imaging

90254, large research infrastructures

Name: e-INFRA CZ II

Cite

BLAŽÍČKOVÁ, Jitka; Shalini TRIVEDI; Richard BOWMAN; Sowmya Sivakumar GEETHA; Silma SUBAH; Michelle SCUZZARELLA; Alexander CHANG; Uma R CHANDRAN; Judith L YANOWITZ; Sarit SMOLIKOVE; Verena JANTSCH; Monique ZETKA and Nicola SILVA. Overlapping and separable activities of BRA-2 and HIM-17 promote occurrence and regulation of pairing and synapsis during Caenorhabditis elegans meiosis. Nature Communications. Berlin: Nature Research, 2025, vol. 16, No 1, p. 1-20. ISSN 2041-1723. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57862-y.

@article{2488520,
   author = {Blažíčková, Jitka and Trivedi, Shalini and Bowman, Richard and Geetha, Sowmya Sivakumar and Subah, Silma and Scuzzarella, Michelle and Chang, Alexander and Chandran, Uma R and Yanowitz, Judith L and Smolikove, Sarit and Jantsch, Verena and Zetka, Monique and Silva, Nicola},
   article_location = {Berlin},
   article_number = {1},
   doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57862-y},
   keywords = {BRA-2; HIM-17; meiosis; pairing; synapsis},
   language = {eng},
   issn = {2041-1723},
   journal = {Nature Communications},
   title = {Overlapping and separable activities of BRA-2 and HIM-17 promote occurrence and regulation of pairing and synapsis during Caenorhabditis elegans meiosis},
   url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57862-y},
   volume = {16},
   year = {2025}
}

TY  - JOUR
ID  - 2488520
AU  - Blažíčková, Jitka - Trivedi, Shalini - Bowman, Richard - Geetha, Sowmya Sivakumar - Subah, Silma - Scuzzarella, Michelle - Chang, Alexander - Chandran, Uma R - Yanowitz, Judith L - Smolikove, Sarit - Jantsch, Verena - Zetka, Monique - Silva, Nicola
PY  - 2025
TI  - Overlapping and separable activities of BRA-2 and HIM-17 promote occurrence and regulation of pairing and synapsis during Caenorhabditis elegans meiosis
JF  - Nature Communications
VL  - 16
IS  - 1
SP  - 1-20
EP  - 1-20
PB  - Nature Research
SN  - 20411723
KW  - BRA-2
KW  - HIM-17
KW  - meiosis
KW  - pairing
KW  - synapsis
UR  - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-57862-y
N2  - Faithful meiotic segregation requires pairwise alignment of the homologous chromosomes and their synaptonemal complex (SC) mediated stabilization. Here, we investigate factors that promote and coordinate these events during C. elegans meiosis. We identify BRA-2 (BMP Receptor Associated family member 2) as an interactor of HIM-17, previously shown to promote double-strand break formation. We found that loss of bra-2 impairs synapsis elongation without affecting homolog recognition, chromosome movement or SC maintenance. Epistasis analyses reveal previously unrecognized activities for HIM-17 in regulating homolog pairing and SC assembly in a partially overlapping manner with BRA-2. We show that removing bra-2 or him-17 restores nuclear clustering, recruitment of PLK-2 at the nuclear periphery, and abrogation of ectopic synapsis in htp-1 mutants, suggesting intact CHK-2-mediated signaling and presence of a barrier that prevents SC polymerization in the absence of homology. Our findings shed light on the regulatory mechanisms ensuring faithful pairing and synapsis.
ER  -

BLAŽÍČKOVÁ, Jitka; Shalini TRIVEDI; Richard BOWMAN; Sowmya Sivakumar GEETHA; Silma SUBAH; Michelle SCUZZARELLA; Alexander CHANG; Uma R CHANDRAN; Judith L YANOWITZ; Sarit SMOLIKOVE; Verena JANTSCH; Monique ZETKA and Nicola SILVA. Overlapping and separable activities of BRA-2 and HIM-17 promote occurrence and regulation of pairing and synapsis during Caenorhabditis elegans meiosis. \textit{Nature Communications}. Berlin: Nature Research, 2025, vol.~16, No~1, p.~1-20. ISSN~2041-1723. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57862-y.

Přehled o publikaci