title: Knockdown of the Drosophila GTPase nucleostemin 1 impairs large ribosomal subunit biogenesis, cell growth, and midgut precursor cell maintenance.
abstract: Mammalian nucleostemin (NS) is a nucleolar guanosine triphosphate-binding protein implicated in cell cycle progression, stem cell proliferation, and ribosome assembly. Drosophila melanogaster contains a four-member nucleostemin family (NS1-4). NS1 is the closest orthologue to human NS; it shares 33% identity and 67% similarity with human NS. We show that NS1 has intrinsic GTPase and ATPase activity and that it is present within nucleoli of most larval and adult cells. Endogenous NS1 and lightly expressed green fluorescent protein (GFP)-NS1 enrich within the nucleolar granular regions as expected, whereas overexpressed GFP-NS1 localized throughout the nucleolus and nucleoplasm, and to several transcriptionally active interbands of polytene chromosomes. Severe overexpression correlated with the appearance of melanotic tumors and larval/pupal lethality. Depletion of 60% of NS1 transcripts also lead to larval and pupal lethality. NS1 protein depletion>95 correlated with the loss of imaginal island (precursor) cells in the larval midgut and to an apparent block in the nucleolar release of large ribosomal subunits in terminally differentiated larval midgut polyploid cells. Ultrastructural examination of larval Malpighian tubule cells depleted for NS1 showed a loss of cytoplasmic ribosomes and a concomitant appearance of cytoplasmic preautophagosomes and lysosomes. We interpret the appearance of these structures as indicators of cell stress response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-1715, USA.
authors.forename: Raphyel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosby
authors.forename: Zhengfang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Megan A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: deLivron
authors.forename: Victoria L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: DiMario
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002466:Cell Nucleolus / Q000201:enzymology; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism*; D007422:Intestines / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development; D007814:Larva; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000502:physiology; D008317:Malpighian Tubules / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000235:genetics; D010588:Phagosomes / Q000502:physiology; D011679:Pupa; D034622:RNA Interference; D054658:Ribosome Subunits, Large / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; C548058:nucleostemin 1, Drosophila