‐The Influence of Histone Variant H2A.Z and Linker Histone H1 on Saccharomyces cerevisiae Meiosis

Abstract

Meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is associated with unique chromosome choreography and chromatin reorganization. In vegetative cells, the histone variant H2A.Z, has a significant role in gene expression, DNA repair, chromosome segregation and maintenance of euchromatin‐heterochromatin boundaries, however, its function in meiosis has not been thoroughly investigated. The linker histone H1 has a role in global gene repression and genome compaction. We have shown that the loss of H1 suppresses some of the defects associated with the absence of H2A.Z. We investigated the impact of histones H2A.Z and H1 on budding yeast meiosis. We found that strains lacking either H2A.Z, H1, or both proteins exhibit wild type levels of sporulation efficiency. H1 does not influence spore viability, whereas the absence of H2A.Z reduces spore viability. Interestingly, the deletion of HHO1 can partially suppress the spore germination defect observed in the absence of H2A.Z. Our results indicate that strains lacking H2A.Z, H1 or both histones have recombination efficiencies similar to those of the wild type. We observe a chromosome axis defect in a subset of cells lacking H2A.Z. Our results suggest that histones H2A.Z and H1 collaborate to influence meiosis in budding yeast.