The Conjusome—A Transient Organelle Linking Genome Rearrangements in the Parental and Developing Macronuclei

Author:

Janetopoulos Christopher12,Aufderheide Karl J.3

Affiliation:

1. Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA

2. Total Experience Learning, Albright College, Reading, PA 19612, USA

3. Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA

Abstract

The conjusome plays an important role in the conjugation events that occur in Tetrahymena thermophila. The conjusome appears in the anterior of conjugant pairs during the early stages of new macronuclei (anlagen) development. It lacks a membrane, and is composed of a network of fibrous, electron dense material, containing background cytoplasm and ribosomes. Several proteins localize to this organelle, including Pdd1p, a chromodomain protein that participates in the formation of chromatin-containing structures in developing macronuclear anlagen, and is associated with the elimination of specific germ-line sequences from developing macronuclei. Conjugants lacking the PDD1 allele in the parental macronucleus do not show Pdd1p antibody staining in conjusomes. Investigations were performed using mutant cell lines, uniparental cytogamy and drug treatment, and show that the conjusome appears to be dependent on parental macronuclei condensation, and is a transitory organelle that traffics nuclear determinants from the parental macronucleus to the developing anlagen. These data, taken together with Pdd1p knockout experiments, suggest the conjusome is involved in the epigenetic phenomena that occur during conjugation and sexual reorganization. This is likely a conserved organelle. Conjusome-like structures were also observed in another Ciliate, Stylonichia. In general, conjusomes have features that resemble germ line P-granules.

Funder

Texas A&M University Department of Biology

Publisher

MDPI AG

Subject

Virology,Microbiology (medical),Microbiology

Reference42 articles.

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