Fig. 2

Loss of gcna-1 Results in Genomic Instability in C. elegans (A) Domain structure of C. elegans GCNA-1 protein. (B) The C. elegans gcna-1 locus detailing the design of the gcna-1(ea43) allele. (C) The HIM phenotype increases over generations (n = 12 parental worms for N2 (wild-type control) and n = 21, 21, and 34 for gcna-1 F1, F3, and F18, respectively). (D) gcna-1 mutant worms exhibit decreases in brood size with successive passaging (n = 12 parental worms for wild type, and 34 each for gcna-1 F1, F8, and F18). (E) DAPI staining of diakinesis nuclei from control (N2, wild type) and gcna-1 mutants. Controls showed the expected 6 DAPI+ bivalents; gcna-1 mutant nuclei contained mixtures of bivalents, univalents, and fused chromosomes. Scale bars represent 5 μm. (F) Mitotic germ cells from gcna-1 mutants exhibit chromosome bridges as seen by DAPI-stained DNA. Insets are examples of nuclei in anaphase. Scale bars represent 5 μm. (G) Quantification of meiotic (leptotene through onset of diplotene) RAD-51 foci in N2, gcna-1, spo-11, and gcna-1;spo-11 mutant C. elegans germ lines (n = 3 germlines/genotype). (H) Quantification of DAPI positive bodies in diakinesis-stage, -1 oocytes of C. elegans (spo-11, n = 20; gcna-1;spo-11, n = 42).