TY - JOUR A1 - Rudel, Thomas A1 - Krohne, George A1 - Prusty, Bhupesh K. T1 - Reactivation of Chromosomally Integrated Human Herpesvirus-6 by Telomeric Circle Formation N2 - More than 95% of the human population is infected with human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) during early childhood and maintains latent HHV-6 genomes either in an extra-chromosomal form or as a chromosomally integrated HHV-6 (ciHHV-6). In addition, approximately 1% of humans are born with an inheritable form of ciHHV-6 integrated into the telomeres of chromosomes. Immunosuppression and stress conditions can reactivate latent HHV-6 replication, which is associated with clinical complications and even death. We have previously shown that Chlamydia trachomatis infection reactivates ciHHV-6 and induces the formation of extra-chromosomal viral DNA in ciHHV-6 cells. Here, we propose a model and provide experimental evidence for the mechanism of ciHHV-6 reactivation. Infection with Chlamydia induced a transient shortening of telomeric ends, which subsequently led to increased telomeric circle (t-circle) formation and incomplete reconstitution of circular viral genomes containing single viral direct repeat (DR). Correspondingly, short t-circles containing parts of the HHV-6 DR were detected in cells from individuals with genetically inherited ciHHV-6. Furthermore, telomere shortening induced in the absence of Chlamydia infection also caused circularization of ciHHV-6, supporting a t-circle based mechanism for ciHHV-6 reactivation. Author Summary: Human herpesviruses (HHVs) can reside in a lifelong non-infectious state displaying limited activity in their host and protected from immune responses. One possible way by which HHV-6 achieves this state is by integrating into the telomeric ends of human chromosomes, which are highly repetitive sequences that protect the ends of chromosomes from damage. Various stress conditions can reactivate latent HHV-6 thus increasing the severity of multiple human disorders. Recently, we have identified Chlamydia infection as a natural cause of latent HHV-6 reactivation. Here, we have sought to elucidate the molecular mechanism of HHV-6 reactivation. HHV-6 efficiently utilizes the well-organized telomere maintenance machinery of the host cell to exit from its inactive state and initiate replication to form new viral DNA. We provide experimental evidence that the shortening of telomeres, as a consequence of interference with telomere maintenance, triggers the release of the integrated virus from the chromosome. Our data provide a mechanistic basis to understand HHV-6 reactivation scenarios, which in light of the high prevalence of HHV-6 infection and the possibility of chromosomal integration of other common viruses like HHV-7 have important medical consequences for several million people worldwide. KW - chlamydia infection KW - circular DNA KW - telomeres KW - polymerase chain reaction KW - DNA electrophoresis KW - chromosomes KW - southern hybridization KW - DNA hybridization Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-111380 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Alsheimer, Manfred A1 - Link, Jana A1 - Jahn, Daniel A1 - Schmitt, Johannes A1 - Göb, Eva A1 - Baar, Johannes A1 - Ortega, Sagrario A1 - Benavente, Ricardo T1 - The Meiotic Nuclear Lamina Regulates Chromosome Dynamics and Promotes Efficient Homologous Recombination in the Mouse JF - PLoS Genetics N2 - The nuclear lamina is the structural scaffold of the nuclear envelope and is well known for its central role in nuclear organization and maintaining nuclear stability and shape. In the past, a number of severe human disorders have been identified to be associated with mutations in lamins. Extensive research on this topic has provided novel important clues about nuclear lamina function. These studies have contributed to the knowledge that the lamina constitutes a complex multifunctional platform combining both structural and regulatory functions. Here, we report that, in addition to the previously demonstrated significance for somatic cell differentiation and maintenance, the nuclear lamina is also an essential determinant for germ cell development. Both male and female mice lacking the short meiosis-specific A-type lamin C2 have a severely defective meiosis, which at least in the male results in infertility. Detailed analysis revealed that lamin C2 is required for telomere-driven dynamic repositioning of meiotic chromosomes. Loss of lamin C2 affects precise synapsis of the homologs and interferes with meiotic double-strand break repair. Taken together, our data explain how the nuclear lamina contributes to meiotic chromosome behaviour and accurate genome haploidization on a mechanistic level. KW - homologous chromosomes KW - homologous recombination KW - lamins KW - Oocytes KW - spermatocytes KW - synapsis KW - telomeres KW - testes Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-96285 ER -