First Author | Greaves EA | Year | 2012 |
Journal | J Cell Sci | Volume | 125 |
Issue | Pt 10 | Pages | 2466-77 |
PubMed ID | 22366453 | Mgi Jnum | J:197704 |
Mgi Id | MGI:5494358 | Doi | 10.1242/jcs.101097 |
Citation | Greaves EA, et al. (2012) Cancer-associated variant expression and interaction of CIZ1 with cyclin A1 in differentiating male germ cells. J Cell Sci 125(Pt 10):2466-77 |
abstractText | CIZ1 is a nuclear-matrix-associated DNA replication factor unique to higher eukaryotes, for which alternatively spliced isoforms have been associated with a range of disorders. In vitro, the CIZ1 N-terminus interacts with cyclin E and cyclin A at distinct sites, enabling functional cooperation with cyclin-A-Cdk2 to promote replication initiation. C-terminal sequences anchor CIZ1 to fixed sites on the nuclear matrix, imposing spatial constraint on cyclin-dependent kinase activity. Here we demonstrate that CIZ1 is predominantly expressed as a predicted full-length product throughout mouse development, consistent with a ubiquitous role in cell and tissue renewal. CIZ1 is expressed in proliferating stem cells of the testis, but is notably downregulated following commitment to differentiation. Significantly, CIZ1 is re-expressed at high levels in non-proliferative spermatocytes before meiotic division. Sequence analysis identifies at least seven alternatively spliced variants, including a dominant cancer-associated form and a set of novel isoforms. Furthermore, we show that in these post-replicative cells, CIZ1 interacts with germ-cell-specific cyclin A1, which has been implicated in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Consistent with this role, antibody depletion of CIZ1 reduces the capacity for testis extract to repair digested plasmid DNA in vitro. Together, the data imply post-replicative roles for CIZ1 in germ cell differentiation that might include meiotic recombination - a process intrinsic to genome stability and diversification. |