1. Developmental Genetics Program, Skirball Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Cell Biology, New York University Medical Center, 540 First Avenue, New York, New York 10016, USA

Correspondence to: Ruth Lehmann¹ Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to R.L. (e-mail: Email: lehmann@saturn.med.nyu.edu).

Abstract

The enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase is best known for catalysing a rate-limiting step in cholesterol biosynthesis, but it also participates in the production of a wide variety of other compounds¹. Some clinical benefits attributed to inhibitors of HMG-CoA reductase are now thought to be independent of any serum cholesterol-lowering effect²,³. Here we describe a new cholesterol-independent role for HMG-CoA reductase, in regulating a developmental process: primordial germ cell migration. We show that in Drosophila this enzyme is highly expressed in the somatic gonad and that it is necessary for primordial germ cells to migrate to this tissue. Misexpression of HMG-CoA reductase is sufficient to attract primordial germ cells to tissues other than the gonadal mesoderm. We conclude that the regulated expression of HMG-CoA reductase has a critical developmental function in providing spatial information to guide migrating primordial germ cells.

1. Developmental Genetics Program, Skirball Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Cell Biology, New York University Medical Center, 540 First Avenue, New York, New York 10016, USA

Correspondence to: Ruth Lehmann¹ Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to R.L. (e-mail: Email: lehmann@saturn.med.nyu.edu).