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Berg C, Sieber M, Sun J. Finishing the egg. Genetics 2024; 226:iyad183. [PMID: 38000906 PMCID: PMC10763546 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Gamete development is a fundamental process that is highly conserved from early eukaryotes to mammals. As germ cells develop, they must coordinate a dynamic series of cellular processes that support growth, cell specification, patterning, the loading of maternal factors (RNAs, proteins, and nutrients), differentiation of structures to enable fertilization and ensure embryonic survival, and other processes that make a functional oocyte. To achieve these goals, germ cells integrate a complex milieu of environmental and developmental signals to produce fertilizable eggs. Over the past 50 years, Drosophila oogenesis has risen to the forefront as a system to interrogate the sophisticated mechanisms that drive oocyte development. Studies in Drosophila have defined mechanisms in germ cells that control meiosis, protect genome integrity, facilitate mRNA trafficking, and support the maternal loading of nutrients. Work in this system has provided key insights into the mechanisms that establish egg chamber polarity and patterning as well as the mechanisms that drive ovulation and egg activation. Using the power of Drosophila genetics, the field has begun to define the molecular mechanisms that coordinate environmental stresses and nutrient availability with oocyte development. Importantly, the majority of these reproductive mechanisms are highly conserved throughout evolution, and many play critical roles in the development of somatic tissues as well. In this chapter, we summarize the recent progress in several key areas that impact egg chamber development and ovulation. First, we discuss the mechanisms that drive nutrient storage and trafficking during oocyte maturation and vitellogenesis. Second, we examine the processes that regulate follicle cell patterning and how that patterning impacts the construction of the egg shell and the establishment of embryonic polarity. Finally, we examine regulatory factors that control ovulation, egg activation, and successful fertilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celeste Berg
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-5065USA
| | - Matthew Sieber
- Department of Physiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390USA
| | - Jianjun Sun
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269USA
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2
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Rathore OS, Silva RD, Ascensão-Ferreira M, Matos R, Carvalho C, Marques B, Tiago MN, Prudêncio P, Andrade RP, Roignant JY, Barbosa-Morais NL, Martinho RG. NineTeen Complex-subunit Salsa is required for efficient splicing of a subset of introns and dorsal-ventral patterning. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2020; 26:1935-1956. [PMID: 32963109 PMCID: PMC7668242 DOI: 10.1261/rna.077446.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The NineTeen Complex (NTC), also known as pre-mRNA-processing factor 19 (Prp19) complex, regulates distinct spliceosome conformational changes necessary for splicing. During Drosophila midblastula transition, splicing is particularly sensitive to mutations in NTC-subunit Fandango, which suggests differential requirements of NTC during development. We show that NTC-subunit Salsa, the Drosophila ortholog of human RNA helicase Aquarius, is rate-limiting for splicing of a subset of small first introns during oogenesis, including the first intron of gurken Germline depletion of Salsa and splice site mutations within gurken first intron impair both adult female fertility and oocyte dorsal-ventral patterning, due to an abnormal expression of Gurken. Supporting causality, the fertility and dorsal-ventral patterning defects observed after Salsa depletion could be suppressed by the expression of a gurken construct without its first intron. Altogether, our results suggest that one of the key rate-limiting functions of Salsa during oogenesis is to ensure the correct expression and efficient splicing of the first intron of gurken mRNA. Retention of gurken first intron compromises the function of this gene most likely because it undermines the correct structure and function of the transcript 5'UTR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Om Singh Rathore
- Center for Biomedical Research (CBMR), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, 8005-139 Portugal
| | - Rui D Silva
- Center for Biomedical Research (CBMR), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, 8005-139 Portugal
| | - Mariana Ascensão-Ferreira
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Matos
- Center for Biomedical Research (CBMR), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, 8005-139 Portugal
| | - Célia Carvalho
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Bruno Marques
- Center for Biomedical Research (CBMR), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, 8005-139 Portugal
| | - Margarida N Tiago
- Center for Biomedical Research (CBMR), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, 8005-139 Portugal
| | - Pedro Prudêncio
- Center for Biomedical Research (CBMR), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, 8005-139 Portugal
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Raquel P Andrade
- Center for Biomedical Research (CBMR), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, 8005-139 Portugal
- Department of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and Algarve Biomedical Center, Universidade do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Jean-Yves Roignant
- Center for Integrative Genomics, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Nuno L Barbosa-Morais
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Rui Gonçalo Martinho
- Center for Biomedical Research (CBMR), Universidade do Algarve, Faro, 8005-139 Portugal
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
- Department of Medical Sciences and Institute for Biomedicine (iBiMED), Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
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Baskar R, Bakrhat A, Abdu U. GFP-Forked, a genetic reporter for studying Drosophila oocyte polarity. Biol Open 2019; 8:bio.039552. [PMID: 30598482 PMCID: PMC6361205 DOI: 10.1242/bio.039552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The polarized organization of the Drosophila oocyte can be visualized by examining the asymmetric localization of mRNAs, which is supported by networks of polarized microtubules (MTs). In this study, we used the gene forked, the putative Drosophila homologue of espin, to develop a unique genetic reporter for asymmetric oocyte organization. We generated a null allele of the forked gene using the CRISPR-Cas9 system and found that forked is not required for determining the axes of the Drosophila embryo. However, ectopic expression of a truncated form of GFP-Forked generated a distinct network of asymmetric Forked, which first accumulated at the oocyte posterior and was then restricted to the anterolateral region of the oocyte cortex in mid-oogenesis. This localization pattern resembled that reported for the polarized MTs network. Indeed, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of the polarized organization of the oocyte showed that the filamentous Forked network diffused throughout the entire cortical surface of the oocyte, as would be expected upon perturbation of oocyte polarization. Finally, we demonstrated that Forked associated with Short-stop and Patronin foci, which assemble non-centrosomal MT-organizing centers. Our results thus show that clear visualization of asymmetric GFP-Forked network localization can be used as a novel tool for studying oocyte polarity. Summary: The novel asymmetric Forked network could be used as a genetic reporter for visualizing and studying oocyte polarity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raju Baskar
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Anna Bakrhat
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - Uri Abdu
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva 8410501, Israel
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Newcomb S, Voutev R, Jory A, Delker RK, Slattery M, Mann RS. cis-regulatory architecture of a short-range EGFR organizing center in the Drosophila melanogaster leg. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007568. [PMID: 30142157 PMCID: PMC6147608 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Revised: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We characterized the establishment of an Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) organizing center (EOC) during leg development in Drosophila melanogaster. Initial EGFR activation occurs in the center of leg discs by expression of the EGFR ligand Vn and the EGFR ligand-processing protease Rho, each through single enhancers, vnE and rhoE, that integrate inputs from Wg, Dpp, Dll and Sp1. Deletion of vnE and rhoE eliminates vn and rho expression in the center of the leg imaginal discs, respectively. Animals with deletions of both vnE and rhoE (but not individually) show distal but not medial leg truncations, suggesting that the distal source of EGFR ligands acts at short-range to only specify distal-most fates, and that multiple additional ‘ring’ enhancers are responsible for medial fates. Further, based on the cis-regulatory logic of vnE and rhoE we identified many additional leg enhancers, suggesting that this logic is broadly used by many genes during Drosophila limb development. The EGFR signaling pathway plays a major role in innumerable developmental processes in all animals and its deregulation leads to different types of cancer, as well as many other developmental diseases in humans. Here we explored the integration of inputs from the Wnt- and TGF-beta signaling pathways and the leg-specifying transcription factors Distal-less and Sp1 at enhancer elements of EGFR ligands. These enhancers trigger a specific EGFR-dependent developmental output in the fly leg that is limited to specifying distal-most fates. Our findings suggest that activation of the EGFR pathway during fly leg development occurs through the activation of multiple EGFR ligand enhancers that are active at different positions along the proximo-distal axis. Similar enhancer elements are likely to control EGFR activation in humans as well. Such DNA elements might be ‘hot spots’ that cause formation of EGFR-dependent tumors if mutations in them occur. Thus, understanding the molecular characteristics of such DNA elements could facilitate the detection and treatment of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Newcomb
- Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Roumen Voutev
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States of America
- * E-mail: (RV); (RSM)
| | - Aurelie Jory
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Rebecca K. Delker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Matthew Slattery
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Richard S. Mann
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and Department of Systems Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States of America
- * E-mail: (RV); (RSM)
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O'Hanlon KN, Dam RA, Archambeault SL, Berg CA. Two Drosophilids exhibit distinct EGF pathway patterns in oogenesis. Dev Genes Evol 2018; 228:31-48. [PMID: 29264645 PMCID: PMC5805658 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-017-0601-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Deciphering the evolution of morphological structures is a remaining challenge in the field of developmental biology. The respiratory structures of insect eggshells, called the dorsal appendages, provide an outstanding system for exploring these processes since considerable information is known about their patterning and morphogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster and dorsal appendage number and morphology vary widely across Drosophilid species. We investigated the patterning differences that might facilitate morphogenetic differences between D. melanogaster, which produces two oar-like structures first by wrapping and then elongating the tubes via cell intercalation and cell crawling, and Scaptodrosophila lebanonensis, which produces a variable number of appendages simply by cell intercalation and crawling. Analyses of BMP pathway components thickveins and P-Mad demonstrate that anterior patterning is conserved between these species. In contrast, EGF signaling exhibits significant differences. Transcripts for the ligand encoded by gurken localize similarly in the two species, but this morphogen creates a single dorsolateral primordium in S. lebanonensis as defined by activated MAP kinase and the downstream marker broad. Expression patterns of pointed, argos, and Capicua, early steps in the EGF pathway, exhibit a heterochronic shift in S. lebanonensis relative to those seen in D. melanogaster. We demonstrate that the S. lebanonensis Gurken homolog is active in D. melanogaster but is insufficient to alter downstream patterning responses, indicating that Gurken-EGF receptor interactions do not distinguish the two species' patterning. Altogether, these results differentiate EGF signaling patterns between species and shed light on how changes to the regulation of patterning genes may contribute to different tube-forming mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenley N O'Hanlon
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, 3720 15th AVE NE, Seattle, WA, 98195-5065, USA
| | - Rachel A Dam
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, WA, 98195-7275, USA
| | - Sophie L Archambeault
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, WA, 98195-7275, USA
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Celeste A Berg
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, 3720 15th AVE NE, Seattle, WA, 98195-5065, USA.
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, WA, 98195-7275, USA.
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Abstract
Localization and the associated translational control of mRNA is a well established mechanism for segregating cellular protein expression. Drosophila has been instrumental in deciphering the prevailing mechanisms of mRNA localization and regulation. This review will discuss the diverse roles of mRNA localization in the Drosophila germline, the cis-elements and cellular components regulating localization and the superimposition of translational regulatory mechanisms. Despite a history of discovery, there are still many fundamental questions regarding mRNA localization that remain unanswered. Take home messages, outstanding questions and future approaches that will likely lead to resolving these unknowns in the future are summarized at the end.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy T Weil
- a Department of Zoology ; University of Cambridge ; Cambridge , UK
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7
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Liao G, Mingle L, Van De Water L, Liu G. Control of cell migration through mRNA localization and local translation. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2014; 6:1-15. [PMID: 25264217 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Revised: 06/13/2014] [Accepted: 07/31/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cell migration plays an important role in many normal and pathological functions such as development, wound healing, immune defense, and tumor metastasis. Polarized migrating cells exhibit asymmetric distribution of many cytoskeletal proteins, which is believed to be critical for establishing and maintaining cell polarity and directional cell migration. To target these proteins to the site of function, cells use a variety of mechanisms such as protein transport and messenger RNA (mRNA) localization-mediated local protein synthesis. In contrast to the former which is intensively investigated and relatively well understood, the latter has been understudied and relatively poorly understood. However, recent advances in the study of mRNA localization and local translation have demonstrated that mRNA localization and local translation are specific and effective ways for protein localization and are crucial for embryo development, neuronal function, and many other cellular processes. There are excellent reviews on mRNA localization, transport, and translation during development and other cellular processes. This review will focus on mRNA localization-mediated local protein biogenesis and its impact on somatic cell migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoning Liao
- Center for Cell Biology and Cancer Research, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA
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Sitaram P, Merkle JA, Lee E, Lee LA. asunder is required for dynein localization and dorsal fate determination during Drosophila oogenesis. Dev Biol 2013; 386:42-52. [PMID: 24333177 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2013.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2013] [Revised: 11/19/2013] [Accepted: 12/04/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
We previously showed that asunder (asun) is a critical regulator of dynein localization during Drosophila spermatogenesis. Because the expression of asun is much higher in Drosophila ovaries and early embryos than in testes, we herein sought to determine whether ASUN plays roles in oogenesis and/or embryogenesis. We characterized the female germline phenotypes of flies homozygous for a null allele of asun (asun(d93)). We find that asun(d93) females lay very few eggs and contain smaller ovaries with a highly disorganized arrangement of ovarioles in comparison to wild-type females. asun(d93) ovaries also contain a significant number of egg chambers with structural defects. A majority of the eggs laid by asun(d93) females are ventralized to varying degrees, from mild to severe; this ventralization phenotype may be secondary to defective localization of gurken transcripts, a dynein-regulated step, within asun(d93) oocytes. We find that dynein localization is aberrant in asun(d93) oocytes, indicating that ASUN is required for this process in both male and female germ cells. In addition to the loss of gurken mRNA localization, asun(d93) ovaries exhibit defects in other dynein-mediated processes such as migration of nurse cell centrosomes into the oocyte during the early mitotic divisions, maintenance of the oocyte nucleus in the anterior-dorsal region of the oocyte in late-stage egg chambers, and coupling between the oocyte nucleus and centrosomes. Taken together, our data indicate that asun is a critical regulator of dynein localization and dynein-mediated processes during Drosophila oogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Poojitha Sitaram
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, U-4225 Medical Research Building III, 465 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232-8240, USA
| | - Julie A Merkle
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, U-4225 Medical Research Building III, 465 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232-8240, USA
| | - Ethan Lee
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, U-4225 Medical Research Building III, 465 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232-8240, USA
| | - Laura A Lee
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, U-4225 Medical Research Building III, 465 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232-8240, USA.
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Lasko P. mRNA localization and translational control in Drosophila oogenesis. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2012; 4:cshperspect.a012294. [PMID: 22865893 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a012294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Localization of an mRNA species to a particular subcellular region can complement translational control mechanisms to produce a restricted spatial distribution of the protein it encodes. mRNA localization has been studied most in asymmetric cells such as budding yeast, early embryos, and neurons, but the process is likely to be more widespread. This article reviews the current state of knowledge about the mechanisms of mRNA localization and its functions in early embryonic development, focusing on Drosophila where the relevant knowledge is most advanced. Links between mRNA localization and translational control mechanisms also are examined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Lasko
- Department of Biology, Bellini Life Sciences Building, McGill University, Montréal, Québec H3G 0B1, Canada.
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Hartswood E, Brodie J, Vendra G, Davis I, Finnegan DJ. RNA:RNA interaction can enhance RNA localization in Drosophila oocytes. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2012; 18:729-37. [PMID: 22345148 PMCID: PMC3312560 DOI: 10.1261/rna.026674.111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2011] [Accepted: 12/15/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
RNA localization is a key mechanism for targeting proteins to particular subcellular domains. Sequences necessary and sufficient for localization have been identified, but little is known about factors that affect its kinetics. Transcripts of gurken and the I factor, a non-LTR retrotransposon, colocalize at the nucleus in the dorso-antero corner of the Drosophila oocyte directed by localization signals, the GLS and ILS. I factor RNA localizes faster than gurken after injection into oocytes, due to a difference in the intrinsic localization ability of the GLS and ILS. The kinetics of localization of RNA containing the ILS are enhanced by the presence of a stem-loop, the A loop. This acts as an RNA:RNA interaction element in vivo and in vitro, and stimulates localization of RNA containing other localization signals. RNA:RNA interaction may be a general mechanism for modulating RNA localization and could allow an mRNA that lacks a localization signal to hitchhike on another RNA that has one.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eve Hartswood
- Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, United Kingdom
| | - Jim Brodie
- Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, United Kingdom
| | - Georgia Vendra
- Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, United Kingdom
| | - Ilan Davis
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QU, United Kingdom
| | - David J. Finnegan
- Institute of Cell Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, United Kingdom
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Gagnon JA, Mowry KL. Molecular motors: directing traffic during RNA localization. Crit Rev Biochem Mol Biol 2011; 46:229-39. [PMID: 21476929 DOI: 10.3109/10409238.2011.572861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
RNA localization, the enrichment of RNA in a specific subcellular region, is a mechanism for the establishment and maintenance of cellular polarity in a variety of systems. Ultimately, this results in a universal method for spatially restricting gene expression. Although the consequences of RNA localization are well-appreciated, many of the mechanisms that are responsible for carrying out polarized transport remain elusive. Several recent studies have illuminated the roles that molecular motor proteins play in the process of RNA localization. These studies have revealed complex mechanisms in which the coordinated action of one or more motor proteins can act at different points in the localization process to direct RNAs to their final destination. In this review, we discuss recent findings from several different systems in an effort to clarify pathways and mechanisms that control the directed movement of RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A Gagnon
- Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology & Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
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Ahmed F, Benedito VA, Zhao PX. Mining Functional Elements in Messenger RNAs: Overview, Challenges, and Perspectives. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2011; 2:84. [PMID: 22639614 PMCID: PMC3355573 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2011.00084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2011] [Accepted: 11/03/2011] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotic messenger RNA (mRNA) contains not only protein-coding regions but also a plethora of functional cis-elements that influence or coordinate a number of regulatory aspects of gene expression, such as mRNA stability, splicing forms, and translation rates. Understanding the rules that apply to each of these element types (e.g., whether the element is defined by primary or higher-order structure) allows for the discovery of novel mechanisms of gene expression as well as the design of transcripts with controlled expression. Bioinformatics plays a major role in creating databases and finding non-evident patterns governing each type of eukaryotic functional element. Much of what we currently know about mRNA regulatory elements in eukaryotes is derived from microorganism and animal systems, with the particularities of plant systems lagging behind. In this review, we provide a general introduction to the most well-known eukaryotic mRNA regulatory motifs (splicing regulatory elements, internal ribosome entry sites, iron-responsive elements, AU-rich elements, zipcodes, and polyadenylation signals) and describe available bioinformatics resources (databases and analysis tools) to analyze eukaryotic transcripts in search of functional elements, focusing on recent trends in bioinformatics methods and tool development. We also discuss future directions in the development of better computational tools based upon current knowledge of these functional elements. Improved computational tools would advance our understanding of the processes underlying gene regulations. We encourage plant bioinformaticians to turn their attention to this subject to help identify novel mechanisms of gene expression regulation using RNA motifs that have potentially evolved or diverged in plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Firoz Ahmed
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, Plant Biology Division, Samuel Roberts Noble FoundationArdmore, OK, USA
| | - Vagner A. Benedito
- Genetics and Developmental Biology, Plant and Soil Sciences Division, West Virginia UniversityMorgantown, WV, USA
| | - Patrick Xuechun Zhao
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, Plant Biology Division, Samuel Roberts Noble FoundationArdmore, OK, USA
- *Correspondence: Patrick Xuechun Zhao, Bioinformatics Laboratory, Plant Biology Division, Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, 2510 Sam Noble Parkway, Ardmore, OK 73401, USA e-mail:
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