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Biomedical subjects

Emmanuelle Fabre

Publications and source records attributed to Emmanuelle Fabre.

8 recordsLinked to original sources

Telomere tethering at the nuclear periphery is essential for efficient DNA double strand break repair in subtelomeric region.

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae that lacks lamins, the nuclear pore complex (NPC) has been proposed to serve a role in chromatin organization. Here, using fluorescence microscopy in living cells, we show that nuclear pore proteins of the Nup84 core complex, Nup84p, Nup145Cp, Nup120p, and Nup133p, serve to anchor telomere XI-L at the nuclear periphery. The integrity of this complex is shown to be required for repression of a URA3 gene inserted in the subtelomeric region of this chromosome end. Furthermore, altering the integrity of this complex decreases the efficiency of repair of a DNA double-strand break (DSB) only when it is generated in the subtelomeric region, even though the repair machinery is functional. These effects are specific to the Nup84 complex. Our observations thus confirm and extend the role played by the NPC, through the Nup84 complex, in the functional organization of chromatin. They also indicate that anchoring of telomeres is essential for efficient repair of DSBs occurring therein and is important for preserving genome integrity.

Base Sequence↗

Comparative genomics in hemiascomycete yeasts: evolution of sex, silencing, and subtelomeres.

The recent release of sequences of several unexplored yeast species that cover an evolutionary range comparable to the entire phylum of chordates offers us a unique opportunity to investigate how genes involved in adaptation have been shaped by evolution. We have examined how three different sets of genes, all related to adaptative processes at the genomic level, have evolved in hemiascomycetes: (1) the mating-type genes that govern sexuality, (2) the silencing genes that are connected to regulation of mating-type cassettes and to telomere position effect, and (3) the gene families found repeated in subtelomeric regions. We report new combinations of mating-type genes and cassettes in hemiascomycetous species; we show that silencing proteins diverge rapidly. We have also found that in all species studied, subtelomeric gene families exist and are specific to each species.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Large-scale exploration of growth inhibition caused by overexpression of genomic fragments in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

We have screened the genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for fragments that confer a growth-retardation phenotype when overexpressed in a multicopy plasmid with a tetracycline-regulatable (Tet-off) promoter. We selected 714 such fragments with a mean size of 700 base-pairs out of around 84,000 clones tested. These include 493 in-frame open reading frame fragments corresponding to 454 distinct genes (of which 91 are of unknown function), and 162 out-of-frame, antisense and intergenic genomic fragments, representing the largest collection of toxic inserts published so far in yeast.

Cloning, Molecular↗

Genome evolution in yeasts.

Identifying the mechanisms of eukaryotic genome evolution by comparative genomics is often complicated by the multiplicity of events that have taken place throughout the history of individual lineages, leaving only distorted and superimposed traces in the genome of each living organism. The hemiascomycete yeasts, with their compact genomes, similar lifestyle and distinct sexual and physiological properties, provide a unique opportunity to explore such mechanisms. We present here the complete, assembled genome sequences of four yeast species, selected to represent a broad evolutionary range within a single eukaryotic phylum, that after analysis proved to be molecularly as diverse as the entire phylum of chordates. A total of approximately 24,200 novel genes were identified, the translation products of which were classified together with Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteins into about 4,700 families, forming the basis for interspecific comparisons. Analysis of chromosome maps and genome redundancies reveal that the different yeast lineages have evolved through a marked interplay between several distinct molecular mechanisms, including tandem gene repeat formation, segmental duplication, a massive genome duplication and extensive gene loss.

Chromosomes, Fungal↗

Plasmid DNA electrotransfer for intracellular and secreted proteins expression: new methodological developments and applications.

In vivo electrotransfer is a physical method of gene delivery in various tissues and organs, relying on the injection of a plasmid DNA followed by electric pulse delivery. The importance of the association between cell permeabilization and DNA electrophoresis for electrotransfer efficiency has been highlighted. In vivo electrotransfer is of special interest since it is the most efficient non-viral strategy of gene delivery and also because of its low cost, easiness of realization and safety. The potentiality of this technique can be further improved by optimizing plasmid biodistribution in the targeted organ, plasmid structure, and the design of the encoded protein. In particular, we found that plasmids of smaller size were electrotransferred more efficiently than large plasmids. It is also of importance to study and understand kinetic expression of the transgene, which can be very variable, depending on many factors including cellular localization of the protein, physiological activity and regulation. The most widely targeted tissue is skeletal muscle, because this strategy is not only promising for the treatment of muscle disorders, but also for the systemic secretion of therapeutic proteins. Vaccination and oncology gene therapy are also major fields of application of electrotransfer, whereas application to other organs such as liver, brain and cornea are expanding. Many published studies have shown that plasmid electrotransfer can lead to long-lasting therapeutic effects in various pathologies such as cancer, blood disorders, rheumatoid arthritis or muscle ischemia. DNA electrotransfer is also a powerful laboratory tool to study gene function in a given tissue.

Animals↗

Genome-wide nuclear morphology screen identifies novel genes involved in nuclear architecture and gene-silencing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Organisation of the cell nucleus is crucial for the regulation of gene expression but little is known about how nuclei are structured. To address this issue, we designed a genomic screen to identify factors involved in nuclear architecture in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This screen is based on microscopic monitoring of nuclear pore complexes and nucleolar proteins fused with the green fluorescent protein in a collection of approximately 400 individual deletion mutants. Among the 12 genes identified by this screen, most affect both the nuclear envelope and the nucleolar morphology. Corresponding gene products are localised preferentially to the nucleus or close to the nuclear periphery. Interestingly, these nuclear morphology alterations were associated with chromatin-silencing defects. These genes provide a molecular context to explore the functional link between nuclear architecture and gene silencing.

Cell Nucleolus↗

Transcription and nuclear transport of CAG/CTG trinucleotide repeats in yeast.

Trinucleotide repeats are involved in several neurological disorders in humans. DNA sequences containing CAG/CTG repeats are prone to slippage during replication and double-strand break repair. The effects of trinucleotide repeats on transcription and on nuclear export were analyzed in vivo in yeast. Transcription of a CAG/CTG trinucleotide repeat in the 3'-untranslated region of a URA3 reporter gene leads to transcription of messenger RNAs several kilobases longer than the expected size. These long mRNAs form more readily when CAG rather than CTG repeats are transcribed. CAG- or CUG-containing transcripts show a non-homogeneous cellular localization. We propose that long mRNAs result from transcription slippage, and discuss the possible implications for human diseases.

3' Untranslated Regions↗