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Successful transmission and transcriptional deployment of a human chromosome via mouse male meiosis

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Pike, J 
Aitken, SJ 
Long, HK 
Eling, N 

Abstract

Most human aneuploidies originate maternally, due in part to the presence of highly stringent checkpoints during male meiosis. Indeed, male sterility is common among aneuploid mice used to study chromosomal abnormalities, and male germline transmission of exogenous DNA has been rarely reported. Here we show that, despite aberrant testis architecture, males of the aneuploid Tc1 mouse strain produce viable sperm and transmit human chromosome 21 to create aneuploid offspring. In these offspring, we mapped transcription, transcriptional initiation, enhancer activity, non-methylated DNA, and transcription factor binding in adult tissues. Remarkably, when compared with mice derived from female passage of human chromosome 21, the chromatin condensation during spermatogenesis and the extensive epigenetic reprogramming specific to male germline transmission resulted in almost indistinguishable patterns of transcriptional deployment. Our results reveal an unexpected tolerance of aneuploidy during mammalian spermatogenesis, and the surprisingly robust ability of mouse developmental machinery to accurately deploy an exogenous chromosome, regardless of germline transmission.

Description

Keywords

aneuploidy, chromosomes, epigenetic reprogramming, genes, human, male germline, meiosis, mouse

Journal Title

eLife

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2050-084X
2050-084X

Volume Title

5

Publisher

eLife
Sponsorship
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (unknown)
Wellcome Trust (106563/Z/14/Z)
Cancer Research UK (unknown)
European Research Council (615584)
Cancer Research UK (17043)
Cancer Research UK (20412)
This research was supported by Cancer Research UK (CE, CK, FC, TFR, ML, DTO), the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (NE), the Wellcome Trust (106563/Z/14/A: SJA and 098024/Z/11/Z: RJK) and the European Research Council (DTO).