title: Xenopus Staufen is a component of a ribonucleoprotein complex containing Vg1 RNA and kinesin.
abstract: RNA localization is a key mechanism for generating cell and developmental polarity in a wide variety of organisms. We have performed studies to investigate a role for the Xenopus homolog of the double-stranded RNA-binding protein, Staufen, in RNA localization during oogenesis. We have found that Xenopus Staufen (XStau) is present in a ribonucleoprotein complex, and associates with both a kinesin motor protein and vegetally localized RNAs Vg1 and VegT. A functional role for XStau was revealed through expression of a dominant-negative version that blocks localization of Vg1 RNA in vivo. Our results suggest a central role for XStau in RNA localization in Xenopus oocytes, and provide evidence that Staufen is a conserved link between specific mRNAs and the RNA localization machinery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
authors.forename: Young J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Kimberly L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Mowry
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D019992:Databases as Topic; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D016547:Kinesins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013347:Subcellular Fractions; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D014981:Xenopus; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology; D014982:Xenopus laevis
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C513103:GDF1 protein, Xenopus; D006023:Glycoproteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C488764:STAU1 protein, Xenopus; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; C069927:stau protein, Drosophila; D012313:RNA; D016547:Kinesins