Requirement for P granules and meiosis for accumulation of the germline RNA helicase CGH-1.
In Caenorhabditis elegans, lack of the conserved germline RNA helicase CGH-1 causes infertility and excessive levels of physiological germline apoptosis, a process that normally claims about half of all developing oocytes. In yeast the CGH-1 ortholog is a key component of degradative "processing (P) bodies," which may share some properties with germline protein-RNA complexes such as P granules. During oogenesis CGH-1 associates with P granules, but also accumulates to high levels in additional cytoplasmic particles. Here we show that appropriate levels and localization of CGH-1 depends on some P granule components and on mechanisms that establish meiotic development. At the same time, germ cell death is not increased by various abnormalities in P granules or meiosis. We conclude that in developing oocytes CGH-1 particles accumulate specifically in response to meiotic development and have distinct functions from P granules, and may be dynamic protein-mRNA structures.
Departamento de Biología Celular, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, UNAM, México DF, México.
Rosa E
RE
Navarro
T Keith
TK
Blackwell
D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000201:enzymology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008540:Meiosis; D034622:RNA Interference; D012316:RNA Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D012316:RNA Nucleotidyltransferases; C490618:cgh-1 protein, C elegans