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Mitotic replication initiation proteins are not required for pre-meiotic S phase

Nature Genetics volume 25, pages 263–268 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

Initiation of mitotic DNA replication in eukaryotes requires conserved factors, including Cdc18/CDC6 and minichromosome maintenance (MCM) proteins. We show here that these proteins are not essential for meiotic DNA replication or subsequent meiotic divisions in fission yeast. In addition, vegetative replication checkpoint genes are not required for the arrest of meiotic divisions in response to pre-meiotic S-phase delays. Genes essential for other aspects of vegetative DNA replication, however, including polymerases and DNA ligase, are also required for pre-meiotic DNA synthesis. Our results indicate that the process of replication initiation and checkpoint control may be fundamentally different in mitotic and meiotic cells.

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Figure 1: Meiotic progression in pat1 mutant strains.
Figure 2: Meiotic and mitotic progression in a strain where cdc18+ expression is shut off by the addition of thiamine.
Figure 3: Protein concentrations in pat1 mutant cells, synchronized as described in Fig. 1.
Figure 4: Vegetative checkpoint mutants do not affect meiotic checkpoint arrest.
Figure 5: Effects of S-phase mutants in homozygous diploids.

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Acknowledgements

We thank T. Carr, B. Grallert, O. Nielsen, N. Rhind, C. Shimoda and G. Smith for strains; B. Grallert, G. Karpen and M. McKeown for discussions; and T. Hunter, G. Karpen, M. McKeown, S. Pasion and T. Pollard for critical reading of the manuscript. S.L.F. acknowledges a guest professorship from the University of Copenhagen and the hospitality of O. Nielsen and R. Egel in developmental stages of this project. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grant GM54797 to S.L.F., who is a scholar of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

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  1. Molecular Biology and Virology Laboratory, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, USA

    Susan L. Forsburg & Jeffrey A. Hodson

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Correspondence to Susan L. Forsburg.

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Forsburg, S., Hodson, J. Mitotic replication initiation proteins are not required for pre-meiotic S phase. Nat Genet 25, 263–268 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/77015

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