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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.11.02.686075

Transcriptional control of meiotic recombination by the DREAM complex

Tuncay, H.·Ma, X.·Lang, L.·Boewer, F.·Latrasse, D.·Benhamed, M.·Schnittger, A.
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Abstract

Meiotic chromosome segregation and recombination, essential for sexual reproduction and evolution, require a specialized gene set. However, how meiotic gene expression is controlled remains largely unclear in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we identify the DREAM complex as a transcriptional regulator of meiotic recombination in Arabidopsis. We show that the DREAM complex localizes to meiotic chromosomes, and that reduced DREAM function disrupts recombination and causes sterility. Meiocyte-specific transcriptomics combined with genome-wide binding analyses revealed that recombination genes, including the crossover-promoting helicase MER3, are direct DREAM targets. Notably, bypassing DREAM regulation of MER3 partially restores recombination in DREAM-deficient plants. Our findings establish the DREAM complex as a major meiotic regulator. Given that reduced DREAM function causes reproductive defects in species such as Drosophila and mice, this role may be conserved across multicellular eukaryotes.

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Tuncay, H., Ma, X., Lang, L., Boewer, F., Latrasse, D., Benhamed, M., Schnittger, A.. 2025-11-03. Transcriptional control of meiotic recombination by the DREAM complex. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.02.686075

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