title: Germ Cell-less Promotes Centrosome Segregation to Induce Germ Cell Formation.
abstract: The primordial germ cells (PGCs) specified during embryogenesis serve as progenitors to the adult germline stem cells. In Drosophila, the proper specification and formation of PGCs require both centrosomes and germ plasm, which contains the germline determinants. Centrosomes are microtubule (MT)-organizing centers that ensure the faithful segregation of germ plasm into PGCs. To date, mechanisms that modulate centrosome behavior to engineer PGC development have remained elusive. Only one germ plasm component, Germ cell-less (Gcl), is known to play a role in PGC formation. Here, we show that Gcl engineers PGC formation by regulating centrosome dynamics. Loss of gcl leads to aberrant centrosome separation and elaboration of the astral MT network, resulting in inefficient germ plasm segregation and aborted PGC cellularization. Importantly, compromising centrosome separation alone is sufficient to mimic the gcl loss-of-function phenotypes. We conclude Gcl functions as a key regulator of centrosome separation required for proper PGC development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. Electronic address: dlerit@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Dorothy A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Lerit
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
authors.forename: Conrad W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Shebelut
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Kristen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Lawlor
authors.affiliation: Cell Biology and Physiology Center, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Nasser M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Rusan
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Gavis
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Laboratory of Gene Expression Regulation in Development, Institute of Gene Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119991, Russia.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schedl
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. Electronic address: gdeshpan@princeton.edu.
authors.forename: Girish
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Deshpande
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018385:Centrosome / Q000378:metabolism*; D020090:Chromosome Segregation / Q000235:genetics; D004330:Drosophila / Q000254:growth & development; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D016547:Kinesins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism; D059008:Time-Lapse Imaging; D014404:Tubulin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D014404:Tubulin; C076187:gcl protein, Drosophila; D016547:Kinesins
keywords: cell fate; centrosome; germ cell-less; germ cells; germ plasm; stem cells