DPY-26, a Link Between Dosage Compensation and Meiotic Chromosome Segregation in the Nematode

Abstract

The DPY-26 protein is required in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans for X-chromosome dosage compensation as well as for proper meiotic chromosome segregation. DPY-26 was shown to mediate both processes through its association with chromosomes. In somatic cells, DPY-26 associates specifically with hermaphrodite X chromosomes to reduce their transcript levels. In germ cells, DPY-26 associates with all meiotic chromosomes to mediate its role in chromosome segregation. The X-specific localization of DPY-26 requires two dosage compensation proteins (DPY-27 and DPY-30) and two proteins that coordinately control both sex determination and dosage compensation (SDC-2 and SDC-3).