Meiotic cellular rejuvenation is coupled to nuclear remodeling in budding yeast

• Main Authors: Grant A King, Jay S Goodman, Jennifer G Schick, Keerthana Chetlapalli, Danielle M Jorgens, Kent L McDonald, Elçin Ünal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: eLife Sciences Publications Ltd 2019-08-01
• Series: eLife
• Subjects: meiosis; aging; nuclear pore complex; nucleolus; protein aggregation; quality control
• Online Access: https://elifesciences.org/articles/47156

Production of healthy gametes in meiosis relies on the quality control and proper distribution of both nuclear and cytoplasmic contents. Meiotic differentiation naturally eliminates age-induced cellular damage by an unknown mechanism. Using time-lapse fluorescence microscopy in budding yeast, we found that nuclear senescence factors – including protein aggregates, extrachromosomal ribosomal DNA circles, and abnormal nucleolar material – are sequestered away from chromosomes during meiosis II and subsequently eliminated. A similar sequestration and elimination process occurs for the core subunits of the nuclear pore complex in both young and aged cells. Nuclear envelope remodeling drives the formation of a membranous compartment containing the sequestered material. Importantly, de novo generation of plasma membrane is required for the sequestration event, preventing the inheritance of long-lived nucleoporins and senescence factors into the newly formed gametes. Our study uncovers a new mechanism of nuclear quality control and provides insight into its function in meiotic cellular rejuvenation.