title: Drosophila Dynein light chain (DDLC1) binds to gurken mRNA and is required for its localization.
abstract: During oogenesis in Drosophila, mRNAs encoding determinants required for the polarization of egg and embryo become localized in the oocyte in a spatially restricted manner. The TGF-alpha like signaling molecule Gurken has a central role in the polarization of both body axes and the corresponding mRNA displays a unique localization pattern, accumulating initially at the posterior and later at the anterior-dorsal of the oocyte. Correct localization of gurken RNA requires a number of cis-acting sequence elements, a complex of trans-acting proteins, of which only several have been identified, and the motor proteins Dynein and Kinesin, traveling along polarized microtubules. Here we report that the cytoplasmic Dynein-light-chain (DDLC1) which is the cargo-binding subunit of the Dynein motor protein, directly bound with high specificity and affinity to a 230-nucleotide region within the 3'UTR of gurken, making it the first Drosophila mRNA-cargo to directly bind to the DLC. Although DDLC1 lacks known RNA-binding motifs, comparison to double-stranded RNA-binding proteins suggested structural resemblance. Phenotypic analysis of ddlc1 mutants supports a role for DDLC1 in gurken RNA localization and anchoring as well as in correct positioning of the oocyte nucleus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology and Developmental Genetics, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.
authors.forename: Inna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rom
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Faicevici
authors.forename: Orna
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Almog
authors.forename: F Shira
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Neuman-Silberberg
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D004330:Drosophila / Q000378:metabolism*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004398:Dyneins; D005260:Female; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000235:genetics; D016547:Kinesins / Q000378:metabolism; D008870:Microtubules / Q000378:metabolism; D009865:Oocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha; C542608:ctp protein, Drosophila; C083730:grk protein, Drosophila; D005982:Glutathione Transferase; D004398:Dyneins; D016547:Kinesins