The MSH4 and MSH5 proteins form a hetero-oligomeric structure (heterodimer) in yeast and humans.[7][8][9] In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae MSH4 and MSH5 act specifically to facilitate crossovers between homologous chromosomes during meiosis.[7] The MSH4/MSH5 complex binds and stabilizes double Holliday junctions and promotes their resolution into crossover products. An MSH4hypomorphic (partially functional) mutant of S. cerevisiae showed a 30% genome wide reduction in crossover numbers, and a large number of meioses with non exchange chromosomes.[10] Nevertheless this mutant gave rise to spore viability patterns suggesting that segregation of non-exchange chromosomes occurred efficiently. Thus, in S. cerevisiae, proper segregation apparently does not entirely depend on crossovers between homologous pairs.
The him-14 gene of the worm Caenorhabditis elegans encodes an ortholog of MSH4.[11] Formation of crossovers during C. elegans meiosis requires the him-14(MSH4) gene. Loss of him-14(MSH-4) function severely reduces crossing over, resulting in lack of chiasmata between homologs and consequent missegregation. Thus, in C. elegans, segregation apparently does depend on crossovers between homologous pairs. Him-14(MSH4) functions during the pachytene stage of meiosis, indicating that it is not needed for establishing the preceding stages of pairing and synapsis of homologous chromosomes.
In an MSH4 mutant of rice, chiasma frequency was dramatically decreased to about 10% of the wild-type frequency, although the synaptonemal complex was normally installed.[12] It is likely that MSH4 interacts with MSH5 to promote the majority of crossovers during rice meiosis.
In general it appears that MSH4 acts during meiosis to direct the recombinational repair of some DNA double-strand breaks towards the crossover option rather than the non-cross over option (see Homologous recombination).
^"Human PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^"Mouse PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^Paquis-Flucklinger V, Santucci-Darmanin S, Paul R, Saunières A, Turc-Carel C, Desnuelle C (Sep 1997). "Cloning and expression analysis of a meiosis-specific MutS homolog: the human MSH4 gene". Genomics. 44 (2): 188–94. doi:10.1006/geno.1997.4857. PMID9299235.
^ abBocker T, Barusevicius A, Snowden T, Rasio D, Guerrette S, Robbins D, Schmidt C, Burczak J, Croce CM, Copeland T, Kovatich AJ, Fishel R (1999). "hMSH5: a human MutS homologue that forms a novel heterodimer with hMSH4 and is expressed during spermatogenesis". Cancer Res. 59 (4): 816–22. PMID10029069.
^Her C, Wu X, Griswold MD, Zhou F (Feb 2003). "Human MutS homologue MSH4 physically interacts with von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor-binding protein 1". Cancer Research. 63 (4): 865–72. PMID12591739.
^Santucci-Darmanin S, Neyton S, Lespinasse F, Saunières A, Gaudray P, Paquis-Flucklinger V (Jul 2002). "The DNA mismatch-repair MLH3 protein interacts with MSH4 in meiotic cells, supporting a role for this MutL homolog in mammalian meiotic recombination". Human Molecular Genetics. 11 (15): 1697–706. CiteSeerX10.1.1.586.4478. doi:10.1093/hmg/11.15.1697. PMID12095912.
Bocker T, Barusevicius A, Snowden T, Rasio D, Guerrette S, Robbins D, Schmidt C, Burczak J, Croce CM, Copeland T, Kovatich AJ, Fishel R (Feb 1999). "hMSH5: a human MutS homologue that forms a novel heterodimer with hMSH4 and is expressed during spermatogenesis". Cancer Research. 59 (4): 816–22. PMID10029069.
Moens PB, Kolas NK, Tarsounas M, Marcon E, Cohen PE, Spyropoulos B (Apr 2002). "The time course and chromosomal localization of recombination-related proteins at meiosis in the mouse are compatible with models that can resolve the early DNA-DNA interactions without reciprocal recombination". Journal of Cell Science. 115 (Pt 8): 1611–22. doi:10.1242/jcs.115.8.1611. PMID11950880.
Santucci-Darmanin S, Neyton S, Lespinasse F, Saunières A, Gaudray P, Paquis-Flucklinger V (Jul 2002). "The DNA mismatch-repair MLH3 protein interacts with MSH4 in meiotic cells, supporting a role for this MutL homolog in mammalian meiotic recombination". Human Molecular Genetics. 11 (15): 1697–706. CiteSeerX10.1.1.586.4478. doi:10.1093/hmg/11.15.1697. PMID12095912.
Her C, Wu X, Griswold MD, Zhou F (Feb 2003). "Human MutS homologue MSH4 physically interacts with von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor-binding protein 1". Cancer Research. 63 (4): 865–72. PMID12591739.
Yi W, Wu X, Lee TH, Doggett NA, Her C (Jul 2005). "Two variants of MutS homolog hMSH5: prevalence in humans and effects on protein interaction". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 332 (2): 524–32. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2005.04.154. PMID15907804.
Lee TH, Yi W, Griswold MD, Zhu F, Her C (Jan 2006). "Formation of hMSH4-hMSH5 heterocomplex is a prerequisite for subsequent GPS2 recruitment". DNA Repair. 5 (1): 32–42. doi:10.1016/j.dnarep.2005.07.004. PMID16122992.
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Neyton S, Lespinasse F, Lahaye F, Staccini P, Paquis-Flucklinger V, Santucci-Darmanin S (Oct 2007). "CRM1-dependent nuclear export and dimerization with hMSH5 contribute to the regulation of hMSH4 subcellular localization". Experimental Cell Research. 313 (17): 3680–93. doi:10.1016/j.yexcr.2007.08.010. PMID17869244.