Project description
DNA homology search machinery and recombination
Homologous recombination is a DNA repair pathway that is also employed in meiosis, the process where eukaryotes make sperm and egg cells. Here, nucleotide sequences are exchanged between two similar DNA molecules to repair DNA breaks or produce new combinations of DNA sequences. The homology search mechanism for the accurate identification of a single homologous donor remains poorly investigated. The researchers had previously developed proximity ligation-based methodologies and experimental systems to physically detect joint molecules in yeast cells. This EU-funded project will study in depth the mechanisms of homology search for DNA repair as well as meiosis in the case of chromosomal crossover. Applications abound in sexual reproduction and personalised theragnostics.
Objective
Homologous recombination (HR) is a conserved DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) repair pathway that uniquely uses an intact DNA molecule as a template. Genome-wide homology search is carried out by a nucleoprotein filament (NPF) assembled on the ssDNA flanking the DSB, and whose product is a “D-loop” joint molecule. Beyond accurate DSB repair, this capacity of HR to spatially associates homologous molecules is also harnessed for homolog pairing in meiosis. The goal of “3D-loop” is to tackle two long lasting conundrums: the fundamental homology search mechanism that achieves accurate and efficient identification of a single homologous donor in the vastness of the genome and nucleus, and how this mechanism is adapted for the purpose of homologs attachment in meiosis.
I overcame the main hurdle to study these core steps of HR by developing a suite of proximity ligation-based methodologies and experimental systems to physically detect joint molecules in yeast cells. It revealed elaborate regulation controlling D-loop dynamics and a novel class of joint molecules. This proposal builds upon these methodologies and findings to first address basic properties of the homology sampling process by the NPF and the role of D-loop dynamics, with the long-term goal to establish a quantitative framework of homology search in mitotic cells (WP1). Second, the meiosis-specific regulation of homology search leading to homolog pairing likely integrates chromosomal-scale information. Genome re-synthesis and engineering approaches will be deployed to (i) achieve a quantitative and dynamic cartography of the cytological and molecular events of meiosis over a large chromosomal region, (ii) probe cis-acting regulations at the chromosomal scale, and (iii) revisit the molecular paradigm for crossover formation (WP2). We expect this project to shed light on the fundamental process of homology search and its involvement in the chromosome pairing phenomenon lying at the basis of sexual reproduction.
Fields of science
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Funding Scheme
ERC-STG - Starting GrantHost institution
75794 Paris
France