Month: March 2018

New article that highlights the power of the Bioruptor in DNA shearing for NGS – Phylogenomic evidence for a recent and rapid radiation of lizards in the Patagonian Liolaemus fitzingerii species group

Posted on by Emilie Chabot

Rapid evolutionary radiations are difficult to resolve because divergence events are synchronous and gene flow among nascent species can be high. Large datasets composed of sequence loci from across the genome can potentially help resolve some of these difficult phylogenetic problems.  Researchers in this study chose a test case using the Liolaemus fitzingerii  lizards, which includes twelve[…]

The repair of programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) physically tethers homologous chromosomes in meiosis to allow for accurate segregation through meiotic cell divisions. This process, known as recombination, also results in the exchange of alleles between parental chromosomes and contributes to genetic diversity. In mammals, meiotic DSBs occur predominantly in a small fraction of the genome, at sites known as hotspots. Studies of the formation and repair of meiotic DSBs in mammals are challenging, because few cells undergo meiotic DSB formation at a given time. To better understand the initiation and control of meiotic recombination in mammals, we have devised a highly sensitive method to map the sites of meiotic DSBs genome wide. Our method first isolates DNA bound to DSB repair proteins and then specifically sequences the associated single-stranded DNA. This protocol has generated the first meiotic DSB maps in several mammals and the only map of meiotic DSBs in humans.

Posted on by Emilie Chabot

New article in Methods in Enzymology: The repair of programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) physically tethers homologous chromosomes in meiosis to allow for accurate segregation through meiotic cell divisions. This process, known as recombination, also results in the exchange of alleles between parental chromosomes and contributes to genetic diversity. In mammals, meiotic DSBs occur predominantly in a small fraction of the genome, at sites[…]

New discoveries in radiotherapy resistance in breast cancer — β1-integrin impacts Rad51 stability

Posted on by Emilie Chabot

In this study,  researchers further investigated the molecular mechanisms behind resistance to radiotherapy. They further investigated  β1-integrin which was previously linked to cancer cell survival after irraditation. Among several findings, ectopic β1-integrin expression in S1 cells reduced RING1 levels and increased Rad51 accumulation. In contrast, β1-integrin depletion in T4-2 cells significantly increased RING1 protein levels[…]

New article! RunX3 and ThPOK role in cytotoxicity

Posted on by Emilie Chabot

In this study, researchers show that establishment of CD4CTX-specific transcriptional and epigenetic programs occurred in a stepwise fashion along the Th1-differentiation pathway. Activation of naive CD4 T cells in presence of Th1 polarizing cytokines led to the acquisition of perforin-dependent cytotoxic activity. This process was dependent on the Th1 transcription factor Runx3 and was limited[…]

Publication alert — CRL E3 ligase drives H2B ubiquitination for sister chromatid cohesion via SMC1 regulation

Posted on by Emilie Chabot

In this new study, researchers identified a new CRL type E3 ligase ( which they termed CRL7SMU1) that has an essential role in chromatid cohesion maintenance. SMU1, DDB1, CUL7 and RNF40 were identified as main components of this new complex.  SMU1 by acting as a substrate recognition module, binds to H2B and mediates monoubiquitination at[…]