Role of the oocyte nucleus in determination of the dorsoventral polarity of Drosophila as revealed by molecular analysis of the K10 gene.
In Drosophila, the establishment of dorsoventral polarity of the developing embryo depends on the expression of at least 11 maternally acting genes. Mutant females that lack any of these gene activities produce normally shaped eggs that develop into dorsalized embryos. The female sterile K10 mutation differs from these mutants, because in addition to the dorsalized development of the embryo, it causes a dorsalization of the egg shape. During oogenesis, the K10 gene is specifically expressed in the oocyte. Antibodies raised against a beta-galactosidase-K10 fusion protein were used to visualize the K10 product in ovaries by indirect immunofluorescence. The protein, which contains a putative DNA recognition helix, accumulates in the nucleus of the oocyte, where it is assumed to have a regulatory function. Our results thus indicate that the controlled expression of some of the genes of the oocyte nucleus is essential for the determination of the dorsoventral polarity of the oocyte and possibility of the developing embryo.
Prost
E
E
Laboratoire de Genetique Moleculaire des Eucaryotes du CNRS, Unite 184 de Biologie Moleculaire et de Genie Genetique de l'INSERM, Faculte de Medecine, 67085 Strasbourg Cedex, France.
Deryckere
F
F
Roos
C
C
Haenlin
M
M
Pantesco
V
V
Mohier
E
E
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D016764:Cell Polarity; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D017344:Genes, Insect; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D009865:Oocytes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014157:Transcription Factors
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C088225:fs(1)K10 protein, Drosophila