Biology subjects

Shami, A. N.

Publications and source records attributed to Shami, A. N..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

ZCWPW1 organizes telomeric architecture to drive meiotic chromosome movements

Meiotic homolog pairing relies on programmed DNA recombination and large-scale chromosome movements, yet, how these genetic and mechanical events are coordinated remains unclear. ZCWPW1 is a histone reader that recognizes PRDM9-deposited chromatin marks. We identify an unexpected role for ZCWPW1 as a regulator of rapid prophase movements (RPMs). Using super-resolution imaging, we show that ZCWPW1 is strongly enriched at subtelomeric regions of mouse spermatocytes, where it stabilizes TRF1, LINC complex components, dynein, and meiosis-specific cohesin (STAG3). Loss of ZCWPW1 disrupts telomere architecture, weakens telomere-LINC- motor coupling, and abolishes chromosome movement, leading to defective synapsis and pairing, and persistence of DSBs. These defects are more severe than, and mechanistically independent of, those observed in Prdm9-/- spermatocytes. Together, our findings reveal that ZCWPW1 acts independently of PRDM9 as a chromatin-based intranuclear regulator of telomere architecture and telomere-led chromosome movements, thereby linking telomeric chromatin state to nuclear force transmission required for faithful meiotic progression. Significance StatementMeiotic pairing requires recombination and telomere-led chromosome movements, yet no chromatin factor has been shown to regulate both. We identify ZCWPW1 as the first chromatin-based regulator of rapid prophase movements. ZCWPW1 organizes telomeric chromatin and promotes cohesin and motor assembly at telomeres that for force transmission across the nuclear envelope. Loss of ZCWPW1 disrupts the telomere-nuclear envelope mechanical coupling, impairing motion and altering recombination. This function doesnt rely on PRDM9 despite their co-evolution and co-expression, challenging the prevailing view that ZCWPW1 only acts downstream of PRDM9 in DNA repair. Our findings show that chromatin readers can function as structural regulators of genome organization, revealing a conserved mechanism integrating chromosome structure, motion, and repair to ensure proper pairing and fertility.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Differential impact of a dyskeratosis congenita mutation in TPP1 on mouse hematopoiesis and germline

Telomerase extends chromosome ends in somatic and germline stem cells to ensure continued proliferation. Mutations in genes critical for telomerase function result in telomeropathies such as dyskeratosis congenita (DC), frequently resulting in spontaneous bone marrow failure. While knockout of telomerase in mice has been instrumental in highlighting the importance of telomere length maintenance at an organismal level, it may not be representative of human telomeropathy mutations in vivo. A DC mutation in the shelterin protein TPP1 (K170{Delta}) that compromises telomerase recruitment to telomeres but leaves other functions of TPP1 and the integrity of the telomerase holoenzyme intact is a physiologically relevant tool to evaluate telomerase-dependent telomere length maintenance in mice. We used CRISPR-Cas9 to generate a mutant mouse knocked in for the equivalent of the TPP1 K170{Delta} mutation (TPP1 K82{Delta}) and investigated both its bone marrow and germline compartments in unprecedented detail. TPP1 K82{Delta} caused progressive telomere erosion with increasing generation number but did not induce steady-state hematopoietic defects. Strikingly, K82{Delta} caused mouse infertility, consistent with gross morphological defects in the testis and sperm, the appearance of either empty or severely disorganized seminiferous tubules, and a decrease in both spermatogonia and spermatocytes. It is intriguing that both TPP1 K82{Delta} mice and previously characterized telomerase knockout mice show no spontaneous bone marrow failure but rather succumb to a robust infertility phenotype at steady state. We speculate that telomere length maintenance contributes differently to the evolutionary fitness of humans and mice. Telomere length maintenance in the human bone marrow can ensure progression to reproductive age, while that in the mouse germline can help meet the elevated demand for sperm to produce multiple offspring.

cell biology↗