title: RNA granules in germ cells.
abstract: "Germ granules" are cytoplasmic, nonmembrane-bound organelles unique to germline. Germ granules share components with the P bodies and stress granules of somatic cells, but also contain proteins and RNAs uniquely required for germ cell development. In this review, we focus on recent advances in our understanding of germ granule assembly, dynamics, and function. One hypothesis is that germ granules operate as hubs for the posttranscriptional control of gene expression, a function at the core of the germ cell differentiation program.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Center for Cell Dynamics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. evoronina@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Ekaterina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Voronina
authors.forename: Geraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Seydoux
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sassone-Corsi
authors.forename: Ippei
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nagamori
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004330:Drosophila / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008938:Mitosis; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D020871:RNA Stability
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D012313:RNA