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Review
. 2023 Aug:81:102082.
doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2023.102082. Epub 2023 Jul 3.

Meiotic drive of noncentromeric loci in mammalian meiosis II eggs

Duilio Mza Silva  1 , Takashi Akera  2
Affiliations
Review

Meiotic drive of noncentromeric loci in mammalian meiosis II eggs

Duilio Mza Silva et al. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2023 Aug.

Abstract

The germline produces haploid gametes through a specialized cell division called meiosis. In general, homologous chromosomes from each parent segregate randomly to the daughter cells during meiosis, providing parental alleles with an equal chance of transmission. Meiotic drivers are selfish elements who cheat this process to increase their transmission rate. In female meiosis, selfish centromeres and noncentromeric drivers cheat by preferentially segregating to the egg cell. Selfish centromeres cheat in meiosis I (MI), while noncentromeric drivers can cheat in both meiosis I and meiosis II (MII). Here, we highlight recent advances on our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying these genetic cheating strategies, especially focusing on mammalian systems, and discuss new models of how noncentromeric selfish drivers can cheat in MII eggs.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Selfish larger centromeres (larger black circles) exploit spindle asymmetry to re-orient on the spindle and bias their segregation to the egg in mouse oocyte meiosis I. Selfish centromeres re-reorient before (bottom) [26] or after (top) [9] spindle migration depending on what asymmetry within the spindle they are exploiting. Tyr MTs, tyrosinated microtubules; deTyr MTs, detyrosinated MTs; MTOCs, microtubule organizing centers.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
HSR drive in female Mus musculus musculus oocytes based on Agulnik et al. [28,29]. Non-recombinant HSR chromosome 1 (left side, 22% of total oocytes) shows biased segregation in meiosis I. Most oocytes have recombinant chromatids (right side, 78% of total oocytes), and the sister chromatid with HSR preferentially segregates to the egg in meiosis II when fertilized by sperm with normal chromosome 1 (normal sperm). HSR drive in MI and MII results in the overall transmission bias of 86%. In contrast, sperm with HSR chromosome 1 restores random segregation of sister chromatids (HSR sperm). Sperm chromosomes are not shown for simplicity.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
A model for the evolution of the HSR cluster based on Traut et al. [36]. Cytogenetically visible HSR cluster is composed of 200 – 2000 repetitive units of Sp110 and Sp100-rs genes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    2. The authors review direct and indirect fertility costs caused by genetic conflict between meiotic drivers and the rest of the genome in plants and animals, highlighting the importance of studying these elements to understand the genetics of infertility.

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