Drosophila tudor is essential for polar granule assembly and pole cell specification, but not for posterior patterning.
Pole cells and posterior segmentation in Drosophila are specified by maternally encoded genes whose products accumulate at the posterior pole of the oocyte. Among these genes is tudor (tud). Progeny of hypomorphic tud mothers lack pole cells and have variable posterior patterning defects. We have isolated a null allele to further investigate tud function. While no pole cells are ever observed in embryos from tud-null mothers, 15% of these embryos have normal posterior patterning. OSKAR (OSK) and VASA (VAS) proteins, and nanos (nos) RNA, all initially localize to the pole plasm of tud-null oocytes and embryos from tud-null mothers, while localization of germ cell-less (gcl) and polar granule component (pgc), is undetectable or severely reduced. In embryos from tud-null mothers, polar granules are greatly reduced in number, size, and electron density. Thus, tud is dispensable for somatic patterning, but essential for pole cell specification and polar granule formation.
Thomson
Travis
T
Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 1B1.
Lasko
Paul
P
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D019521:Body Patterning; D016764:Cell Polarity; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000648:ultrastructure; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D020365:RNA Helicases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; C091675:osk protein, Drosophila; C071597:tud protein, Drosophila; C070574:nos protein, Drosophila; C088269:vas protein, Drosophila; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D020365:RNA Helicases