title: Long Oskar Controls Mitochondrial Inheritance in Drosophila melanogaster.
abstract: Inherited mtDNA mutations cause severe human disease. In most species, mitochondria are inherited maternally through mechanisms that are poorly understood. Genes that specifically control the inheritance of mitochondria in the germline are unknown. Here, we show that the long isoform of the protein Oskar regulates the maternal inheritance of mitochondria in Drosophila melanogaster. We show that, during oogenesis, mitochondria accumulate at the oocyte posterior, concurrent with the bulk streaming and churning of the oocyte cytoplasm. Long Oskar traps and maintains mitochondria at the posterior at the site of primordial germ cell (PGC) formation through an actin-dependent mechanism. Mutating long oskar strongly reduces the number of mtDNA molecules inherited by PGCs. Therefore, Long Oskar ensures germline transmission of mitochondria to the next generation. These results provide molecular insight into how mitochondria are passed from mother to offspring, as well as how they are positioned and asymmetrically partitioned within polarized cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, HHMI and Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas Ryan
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Hurd
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, HHMI and Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, HHMI and Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sauerwald
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, HHMI and Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Justina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sanny
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, HHMI and Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grosch
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, HHMI and Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA. Electronic address: ruth.lehmann@med.nyu.edu.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lehmann
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D056915:DNA Copy Number Variations; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000066473:Embryonic Germ Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D017344:Genes, Insect; D050259:Genes, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D009866:Oogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; C091675:osk protein, Drosophila
keywords: actin; cytoskeleton; germ cells; germ plasm; localization; maternal inheritance; mitochondria; mitochondrial inheritance; mtDNA; oskar