Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
09:42
Immunostaining for DNA Modifications: Computational Analysis of Confocal Images
Published on: September 7, 2017
Developmental control of the DNA replication and transcription programs.
Jared Nordman1, Sharon Li, Thomas Eng
1Department of Biology, Whitehead Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
Genome Research
|December 24, 2010
Summary
Differential replication, where DNA copy number varies within polyploid cells, is common in Drosophila. This study reveals tissue-specific patterns of underreplication, controlled by SUUR, and shows transcriptional silencing and underreplication can be uncoupled.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Polyploid cells with >2C DNA content are common in differentiated tissues.
- Differential replication, altering DNA copy number in specific genomic regions, is a known phenomenon.
- The developmental role and prevalence of differential replication remain largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the frequency and patterns of differential DNA replication in Drosophila larval tissues.
- To identify common and tissue-specific sites of underreplication.
- To explore the relationship between underreplication and transcriptional activity.
Main Methods:
- Genome-wide array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) was used to profile DNA copy number variations.
- Larval fat body, midgut, and salivary gland tissues from Drosophila were analyzed.
- mRNA sequencing (mRNA-seq) was employed to assess transcriptional activity in underreplicated regions.
Main Results:
- Common and tissue-specific sites of euchromatic underreplication were identified across larval fat body, midgut, and salivary gland.
- Both common and tissue-specific underreplication were found to be dependent on the Suppressor of Underreplication (SUUR) protein.
- Transcriptional silencing was generally observed in underreplicated regions of the midgut and salivary gland, but uncoupled from underreplication in the fat body.
Conclusions:
- Differential replication is a prevalent strategy in Drosophila development, with both conserved and tissue-specific mechanisms.
- The SUUR protein plays a critical role in regulating both common and tissue-specific underreplication.
- Transcriptional silencing and DNA underreplication can be mechanistically separated, particularly in the larval fat body.
Related Concept Videos
02:38S-Cdk Initiates DNA Replication
The cell cycle is a series of events leading to DNA duplication followed by the division of cell content to form two daughter cells. The cell cycle progresses in four stages—the cell increases in size (gap 1 or G1-phase), duplicates its DNA (synthesis or S-phase), prepares to divide (gap 2 or G2-phase), and divides (mitosis or M-phase).
Two states at the origin of replication
In eukaryotes, the initiation of replication occurs at many sites on the chromosomes, called the origins of replication.
Two states at the origin of replication
In eukaryotes, the initiation of replication occurs at many sites on the chromosomes, called the origins of replication.
02:38S-Cdk Initiates DNA Replication
The cell cycle is a series of events leading to DNA duplication followed by the division of cell content to form two daughter cells. The cell cycle progresses in four stages—the cell increases in size (gap 1 or G1-phase), duplicates its DNA (synthesis or S-phase), prepares to divide (gap 2 or G2-phase), and divides (mitosis or M-phase).
Two states at the origin of replication
In eukaryotes, the initiation of replication occurs at many sites on the chromosomes, called the origins of replication.
Two states at the origin of replication
In eukaryotes, the initiation of replication occurs at many sites on the chromosomes, called the origins of replication.
02:11The Cell Cycle Control System
The cell cycle is an organized set of events that leads the cell to divide into two daughter cells, each containing chromosomes identical to the parent cell. It is the cell cycle that leads to the formation of an entire organism from a single-cell zygote. Besides, cell division also functions in the renewal or repair of tissues in adult multicellular eukaryotes. For example, in the bone marrow, the stem cells divide to form new blood cells. Although essential for several functions, cell...
01:28The Cell Cycle Control System
The cell cycle regulation directs how a cell proceeds from one phase to the next and begins mitosis. The cell cycle control system includes intracellular regulatory molecules and external triggers. They provide "stop" or "advance" signals and operate at specific cell cycle stages termed checkpoints to ensure that a particular process is completed before the cell advances to the next phase.
Cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) are the primary cell cycle regulators and function at the cell...
Cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) are the primary cell cycle regulators and function at the cell...
02:11The Cell Cycle Control System
The cell cycle is an organized set of events that leads the cell to divide into two daughter cells, each containing chromosomes identical to the parent cell. It is the cell cycle that leads to the formation of an entire organism from a single-cell zygote. Besides, cell division also functions in the renewal or repair of tissues in adult multicellular eukaryotes. For example, in the bone marrow, the stem cells divide to form new blood cells. Although essential for several functions, cell...
02:36DNA Damage can Stall the Cell Cycle
In response to DNA damage, cells can pause the cell cycle to assess and repair the breaks. However, the cell must check the DNA at certain critical stages during the cell cycle. If the cell cycle pauses before DNA replication, the cells will contain twice the amount of DNA. On the other hand, if cells arrest after DNA replication but before mitosis, they will contain four times the normal amount of DNA. With a host of specialized proteins at their disposal,cells must use the right protein at...