Sister chromatids

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The paternal (blue) chromosome and the maternal (pink) chromosome are homologous chromosomes. Following chromosomal DNA replication, the blue chromosome is composed of two identical sister chromatids and the pink chromosome is composed of two identical sister chromatids. In mitosis, the sister chromatids separate into the daughter cells, but are now referred to as chromosomes (rather than chromatids) much in the way that one child is not referred to as a single twin. Chromosomes during mitosis.svg
The paternal (blue) chromosome and the maternal (pink) chromosome are homologous chromosomes. Following chromosomal DNA replication, the blue chromosome is composed of two identical sister chromatids and the pink chromosome is composed of two identical sister chromatids. In mitosis, the sister chromatids separate into the daughter cells, but are now referred to as chromosomes (rather than chromatids) much in the way that one child is not referred to as a single twin.
Schematic karyogram of a human, showing a diploid set of chromosomes as seen in the G0 and G1 phases of the cell cycle (before DNA synthesis), including the chromosome 3 pair to the left in blue box at top center. To the right in that box, it also shows the chromosome 3 pair after DNA synthesis but before cell division (including the G2 phase and metaphase), wherein each paired "chromosome arm" is a sister chromatid.

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Further information: Karyotype Human karyotype with bands and sub-bands.png
Schematic karyogram of a human, showing a diploid set of chromosomes as seen in the G0 and G1 phases of the cell cycle (before DNA synthesis), including the chromosome 3 pair to the left in blue box at top center. To the right in that box, it also shows the chromosome 3 pair after DNA synthesis but before cell division (including the G2 phase and metaphase), wherein each paired "chromosome arm" is a sister chromatid.

A sister chromatid refers to the identical copies (chromatids) formed by the DNA replication of a chromosome, with both copies joined together by a common centromere. In other words, a sister chromatid may also be said to be 'one-half' of the duplicated chromosome. A pair of sister chromatids is called a dyad. A full set of sister chromatids is created during the synthesis (S) phase of interphase, when all the chromosomes in a cell are replicated. The two sister chromatids are separated from each other into two different cells during mitosis or during the second division of meiosis.

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Compare sister chromatids to homologous chromosomes, which are the two different copies of a chromosome that diploid organisms (like humans) inherit, one from each parent. Sister chromatids are by and large identical (since they carry the same alleles, also called variants or versions, of genes) because they derive from one original chromosome. An exception is towards the end of meiosis, after crossing over has occurred, because sections of each sister chromatid may have been exchanged with corresponding sections of the homologous chromatids with which they are paired during meiosis. Homologous chromosomes might or might not be the same as each other because they derive from different parents.

There is evidence that, in some species, sister chromatids are the preferred template for DNA repair. [1] Sister chromatid cohesion is essential for the correct distribution of genetic information between daughter cells and the repair of damaged chromosomes. Defects in this process may lead to aneuploidy and cancer, especially when checkpoints fail to detect DNA damage or when incorrectly attached mitotic spindles do not function properly.

Mitosis

Condensation and resolution of human sister chromatids in early mitosis Condensation and resolution of human sister chromatids in early mitosis.svg
Condensation and resolution of human sister chromatids in early mitosis

Mitotic recombination is primarily a result of DNA repair processes responding to spontaneous or induced damages. [2] [3] [4] Homologous recombinational repair during mitosis is largely limited to interaction between nearby sister chromatids that are present in a cell subsequent to DNA replication but prior to cell division. Due to the special nearby relationship they share, sister chromatids are not only preferred over distant homologous chromatids as substrates for recominational repair, but have the capacity to repair more DNA damage than do homologs. [1]

Meiosis

Studies with the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae [5] indicate that inter-sister recombination occurs frequently during meiosis, and up to one-third of all recombination events occur between sister chromatids.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meiosis</span> Cell division producing haploid gametes

Meiosis is a special type of cell division of germ cells and apicomplexans in sexually-reproducing organisms that produces the gametes, such as sperm or egg cells. It involves two rounds of division that ultimately result in four cells with only one copy of each chromosome (haploid). Additionally, prior to the division, genetic material from the paternal and maternal copies of each chromosome is crossed over, creating new combinations of code on each chromosome. Later on, during fertilisation, the haploid cells produced by meiosis from a male and a female will fuse to create a cell with two copies of each chromosome again, the zygote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mitosis</span> Process in which chromosomes are replicated and separated into two new identical nuclei

Mitosis is a part of the cell cycle in which replicated chromosomes are separated into two new nuclei. Cell division by mitosis is an equational division which gives rise to genetically identical cells in which the total number of chromosomes is maintained. Mitosis is preceded by the S phase of interphase and is followed by telophase and cytokinesis; which divides the cytoplasm, organelles and cell membrane of one cell into two new cells containing roughly equal shares of these cellular components. The different stages of mitosis altogether define the mitotic phase of a cell cycle—the division of the mother cell into two daughter cells genetically identical to each other.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chromosomal crossover</span> Cellular process

Chromosomal crossover, or crossing over, is the exchange of genetic material during sexual reproduction between two homologous chromosomes' non-sister chromatids that results in recombinant chromosomes. It is one of the final phases of genetic recombination, which occurs in the pachytene stage of prophase I of meiosis during a process called synapsis. Synapsis begins before the synaptonemal complex develops and is not completed until near the end of prophase I. Crossover usually occurs when matching regions on matching chromosomes break and then reconnect to the other chromosome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prophase</span> First phase of cell division in both mitosis and meiosis

Prophase is the first stage of cell division in both mitosis and meiosis. Beginning after interphase, DNA has already been replicated when the cell enters prophase. The main occurrences in prophase are the condensation of the chromatin reticulum and the disappearance of the nucleolus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genetic recombination</span> Production of offspring with combinations of traits that differ from those found in either parent

Genetic recombination is the exchange of genetic material between different organisms which leads to production of offspring with combinations of traits that differ from those found in either parent. In eukaryotes, genetic recombination during meiosis can lead to a novel set of genetic information that can be further passed on from parents to offspring. Most recombination occurs naturally and can be classified into two types: (1) interchromosomal recombination, occurring through independent assortment of alleles whose loci are on different but homologous chromosomes ; & (2) intrachromosomal recombination, occurring through crossing over.

<i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> Species of yeast

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a species of yeast. The species has been instrumental in winemaking, baking, and brewing since ancient times. It is believed to have been originally isolated from the skin of grapes. It is one of the most intensively studied eukaryotic model organisms in molecular and cell biology, much like Escherichia coli as the model bacterium. It is the microorganism behind the most common type of fermentation. S. cerevisiae cells are round to ovoid, 5–10 μm in diameter. It reproduces by budding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homologous chromosome</span> Chromosomes that pair in fertilization

A couple of homologous chromosomes, or homologs, are a set of one maternal and one paternal chromosome that pair up with each other inside a cell during fertilization. Homologs have the same genes in the same loci, where they provide points along each chromosome that enable a pair of chromosomes to align correctly with each other before separating during meiosis. This is the basis for Mendelian inheritance, which characterizes inheritance patterns of genetic material from an organism to its offspring parent developmental cell at the given time and area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nondisjunction</span> Failure to separate properly during cell division

Nondisjunction is the failure of homologous chromosomes or sister chromatids to separate properly during cell division (mitosis/meiosis). There are three forms of nondisjunction: failure of a pair of homologous chromosomes to separate in meiosis I, failure of sister chromatids to separate during meiosis II, and failure of sister chromatids to separate during mitosis. Nondisjunction results in daughter cells with abnormal chromosome numbers (aneuploidy).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cohesin</span> Protein complex that regulates the separation of sister chromatids during cell division

Cohesin is a protein complex that mediates sister chromatid cohesion, homologous recombination, and DNA looping. Cohesin is formed of SMC3, SMC1, SCC1 and SCC3. Cohesin holds sister chromatids together after DNA replication until anaphase when removal of cohesin leads to separation of sister chromatids. The complex forms a ring-like structure and it is believed that sister chromatids are held together by entrapment inside the cohesin ring. Cohesin is a member of the SMC family of protein complexes which includes Condensin, MukBEF and SMC-ScpAB.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holliday junction</span> Branched nucleic acid structure

A Holliday junction is a branched nucleic acid structure that contains four double-stranded arms joined. These arms may adopt one of several conformations depending on buffer salt concentrations and the sequence of nucleobases closest to the junction. The structure is named after Robin Holliday, the molecular biologist who proposed its existence in 1964.

Mitotic recombination is a type of genetic recombination that may occur in somatic cells during their preparation for mitosis in both sexual and asexual organisms. In asexual organisms, the study of mitotic recombination is one way to understand genetic linkage because it is the only source of recombination within an individual. Additionally, mitotic recombination can result in the expression of recessive alleles in an otherwise heterozygous individual. This expression has important implications for the study of tumorigenesis and lethal recessive alleles. Mitotic homologous recombination occurs mainly between sister chromatids subsequent to replication. Inter-sister homologous recombination is ordinarily genetically silent. During mitosis the incidence of recombination between non-sister homologous chromatids is only about 1% of that between sister chromatids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sister chromatid exchange</span>

Sister chromatid exchange (SCE) is the exchange of genetic material between two identical sister chromatids.

Chromosome segregation is the process in eukaryotes by which two sister chromatids formed as a consequence of DNA replication, or paired homologous chromosomes, separate from each other and migrate to opposite poles of the nucleus. This segregation process occurs during both mitosis and meiosis. Chromosome segregation also occurs in prokaryotes. However, in contrast to eukaryotic chromosome segregation, replication and segregation are not temporally separated. Instead segregation occurs progressively following replication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DNA repair and recombination protein RAD54-like</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

DNA repair and recombination protein RAD54-like is a protein that in humans is encoded by the RAD54L gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MSH4</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

MutS protein homolog 4 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the MSH4 gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Homology directed repair</span>

Homology-directed repair (HDR) is a mechanism in cells to repair double-strand DNA lesions. The most common form of HDR is homologous recombination. The HDR mechanism can only be used by the cell when there is a homologous piece of DNA present in the nucleus, mostly in G2 and S phase of the cell cycle. Other examples of homology-directed repair include single-strand annealing and breakage-induced replication. When the homologous DNA is absent, another process called non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) takes place instead.

The MRX complex is a heterotrimeric protein complex consisting of Mre11, Rad50, and Xrs2. It is a budding yeast homolog of the mammalian Mre11-Rad50-Nbs1 (MRN) DNA damage repair complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meiotic recombination checkpoint</span>

The meiotic recombination checkpoint monitors meiotic recombination during meiosis, and blocks the entry into metaphase I if recombination is not efficiently processed.

The origin and function of meiosis are currently not well understood scientifically, and would provide fundamental insight into the evolution of sexual reproduction in eukaryotes. There is no current consensus among biologists on the questions of how sex in eukaryotes arose in evolution, what basic function sexual reproduction serves, and why it is maintained, given the basic two-fold cost of sex. It is clear that it evolved over 1.2 billion years ago, and that almost all species which are descendants of the original sexually reproducing species are still sexual reproducers, including plants, fungi, and animals.

Sister chromatid cohesion refers to the process by which sister chromatids are paired and held together during certain phases of the cell cycle. Establishment of sister chromatid cohesion is the process by which chromatin-associated cohesin protein becomes competent to physically bind together the sister chromatids. In general, cohesion is established during S phase as DNA is replicated, and is lost when chromosomes segregate during mitosis and meiosis. Some studies have suggested that cohesion aids in aligning the kinetochores during mitosis by forcing the kinetochores to face opposite cell poles.

References

  1. 1 2 Kadyk, Lc; Hartwell, Lh (Oct 1992). "Sister chromatids are preferred over homologs as substrates for recombinational repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae" (Free full text). Genetics. 132 (2): 387–402. doi:10.1093/genetics/132.2.387. ISSN   0016-6731. PMC   1205144 . PMID   1427035.
  2. Moynahan ME, Jasin M (2010). "Mitotic homologous recombination maintains genomic stability and suppresses tumorigenesis". Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 11 (3): 196–207. doi:10.1038/nrm2851. PMC   3261768 . PMID   20177395.
  3. Symington LS, Rothstein R, Lisby M (2014). "Mechanisms and regulation of mitotic recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae". Genetics. 198 (3): 795–835. doi:10.1534/genetics.114.166140. PMC   4224172 . PMID   25381364.
  4. Luisa, Bozzano G. (2012-12-02). Aging, Sex, and DNA Repair. Academic Press. ISBN   978-0-323-13877-2.
  5. Goldfarb T, Lichten M (2010). "Frequent and efficient use of the sister chromatid for DNA double-strand break repair during budding yeast meiosis". PLOS Biol. 8 (10): e1000520. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1000520 . PMC   2957403 . PMID   20976044.