Live imaging and biophysical modeling support a button-based mechanism of somatic homolog pairing in Drosophila
Creators: name: Child, Myron Barber
name: Bateman, Jack R
name: Jahangiri, Amir
name: Reimer, Armando
name: Lammers, Nicholas C
name: Sabouni, Nica
name: Villamarin, Diego
name: McKenzie-Smith, Grace C
name: Johnson, Justine E
name: Jost, Daniel
name: Garcia, Hernan G
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021

description: 3D eukaryotic genome organization provides the structural basis for gene regulation. In Drosophila melanogaster, genome folding is characterized by somatic homolog pairing, where homologous chromosomes are intimately paired from end to end; however, how homologs identify one another and pair has remained mysterious. Recently, this process has been proposed to be driven by specifically interacting 'buttons' encoded along chromosomes. Here, we turned this hypothesis into a quantitative biophysical model to demonstrate that a button-based mechanism can lead to chromosome-wide pairing. We tested our model using live-imaging measurements of chromosomal loci tagged with the MS2 and PP7 nascent RNA labeling systems. We show solid agreement between model predictions and experiments in the pairing dynamics of individual homologous loci. Our results strongly support a button-based mechanism of somatic homolog pairing in Drosophila and provide a theoretical framework for revealing the molecular identity and regulation of buttons.
description: Funding provided by: Burroughs Wellcome Fund<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000861<br>Award Number: Career Award at the Scientific InterfaceFunding provided by: National Institutes of Health<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000002<br>Award Number: P20 GM0103423Funding provided by: National Institutes of Health<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000002<br>Award Number: Director's New Innovator Award DP2 OD024541-01Funding provided by: National Science Foundation<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001<br>Award Number: CAREER Award 652236Funding provided by: National Science Foundation<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001<br>Award Number: CAREER Award 1349779Funding provided by: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000879<br>Award Number: Sloan Research FellowshipFunding provided by: Searle Scholars Program<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100014185Funding provided by: Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100010319Funding provided by: Hellman Foundation<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100010336Funding provided by: ITMO Cancer<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: <br>Award Number: BIO2015-08Funding provided by: Human Frontier Science Program<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000854Funding provided by: Agence Nationale pour le Développement de la Recherche Universitaire<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100008952<br>Award Number: ANR-18-CE12-0006-03Funding provided by: National Institutes of Health<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000002<br>Award Number: R15 GM132896-01Funding provided by: National Institutes of Health<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000002<br>Award Number: Funding provided by: Agence Nationale pour le Développement de la Recherche Universitaire<br>Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100008952<br>Award Number: ANR-18-CE45-0022-01