Publications by authors named "J Engebrecht"

Meiotic cohesion loss underlies elevated rates of infertility and chromosome abnormalities in children of older women. A new study shows that cohesins are turned over throughout meiotic prophase, suggesting that cohesion loss is likely not solely due to early establishment of cohesion.

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53BP1 plays a crucial role in regulating DNA damage repair pathway choice and checkpoint signaling in somatic cells; however, its role in meiosis has remained enigmatic. In this study, we demonstrate that the Caenorhabditis elegans ortholog of 53BP1, HSR-9, associates with chromatin in both proliferating and meiotic germ cells. Notably, HSR-9 is enriched on the X chromosome pair in pachytene oogenic germ cells.

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Article Synopsis
  • The protein 53BP1 is important for DNA damage repair and checkpoint signaling in somatic cells, while its function in meiosis is less understood.
  • The study reveals that HSR-9, the counterpart of 53BP1, binds to chromatin in both growing and meiotic germ cells, showing higher levels on chromosome pairs in specific stages of oogenesis.
  • HSR-9 influences the processing of amino acid sequences in meiotic double strand breaks and contributes to chromosome segregation, indicating it has both shared and distinct roles compared to its ortholog in somatic cells.
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In mice, mutation of results in embryonic lethality, which is partially suppressed by mutation. In contrast, mutation of the BRCA1 ortholog, or its binding partner, , lead to only mild embryonic lethality. We show that in , and embryonic lethality is enhanced when ortholog, , is also mutated.

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Article Synopsis
  • Periodic prolonged fasting (PF) may enhance metabolic and immune health, potentially promoting longevity, although the specifics, especially in humans, are not fully understood.
  • A controlled study involving 20 participants assessed metabolic states during fasting and identified important plasma metabolites that change during this period.
  • The study found four key metabolites that not only improved immune responses in human cells but also significantly extended the lifespan of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans.
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