Abstract
The vasa gene product of Drosophila melanogaster is required only in the female germ line. Progeny of females homozygous for vasa mutations lack posterior structures and pole cells. Isolation and characterization of vasa genomic and complementary DNA clones show that the transcript is abundant in the female germ line and early embryos only. The predicted amino acid sequence is very similar to those of the translation initiation factor eIF-4A and the human nuclear antigen p68.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Schüpbach, T. & Wieschaus, E. Wilhelm Roux Arch dev. Biol. 195, 302–317 (1986).
Frohnhöfer, H.-G. & Nüsslein-Volhard, C. Nature 324, 120–125 (1986).
Frohnhöfer, H.-G. & Nüsslein-Volhard, C. Genes Devl 1, 880–890 (1987).
Frigerio, G., Burri, M., Bopp, D., Baumgartner, S. & Noll, M. Cell 47, 735–746 (1986).
Berleth, T. et al. EMBO J. 7, 1749–1756 (1988).
Stephenson, E. C. & Mahowald, A. P. Devl Biol. 124, 1–8 (1987).
Driever, W. & Nüsslein-Volhard, C. Cell 54, 83–93 95–104 (1988).
Nüsslein-Volhard, C., Frohnhöfer, H.-G. & Lehmann, R. Science 238, 1675–1681 (1987).
Boswell, R. & Mahowald, A. Cell 43, 97–104 (1985).
Lehmann, R. & Nüsslein-Volhard, C. Cell 47, 141–152 (1986).
Lehmann, R. & Nüsslein-Volhard, C. Nature 329, 167–170 (1987).
King, R. C. Ovarian Development in Drosophila melanogaster (Academic, New York, 1970).
Mahowald, A. P. & Kambysellis, M. P. in The Genetics and Biology of Drosophila (eds Ashburner, M. & Wright, T. R. W.) 2d, 141–224 (Academic, London, 1980).
Nielsen, P. J., McMaster, G. K. & Trachsel, H. Nucleic Acids Res. 13, 6867–6880 (1985).
Ford, M. J., Anton, I. A. & Lane, D. P. Nature 332, 736–738 (1988).
Woodruff, R. C., & Ashburner, M. Genetics 92, 117–132 (1979).
Ashburner, M. et al. (manuscript in preparation).
Chia, W., Karp, M., McGill, S. & Ashburner, M. J. molec. Biol. 186, 689–706 (1985).
Frischauf, A.-M., Lehrach, H., Poutska, A. & Murray, N. J. molec. Biol. 170, 827–842 (1983).
Cavener, D. R. Nucleic Acids Res. 15, 1353–1361 (1987).
Keller, E. B. & Noon, W. A. Nucleic Acids Res. 13, 4971–4981 (1985).
Lipman, D. J. & Pearson, W. R. Science 227, 1435–1441 (1985).
Walker, J. E., Saraste, M., Runswick, M. J. & Gay, N. J. EMBO J. 1, 945–951 (1982).
Higgins, C. F., Gallagher, M. P., Mimmack, M. L. & Pearce, S. R. Bioessays 8, 111–116 (1988).
Hodgman, T. C. Nature 333, 22–23 (1988).
Lane, D. Nature 334, 478 (1988).
Hodgman, T. C. Nature 333, 578 (1988).
Hay, B., Ackerman, L., Barbel, S., Jan, L. Y. & Jan, Y. N. Development 103, 625–640 (1988).
Lane, D. P. & Hoeffler, W. K. Nature 288, 167–170 (1980).
Rhoads, R. E. Trends biochem. Sci. 13, 52–56 (1988).
Pain, V. M. Biochem. J. 235, 625–637 (1986).
Abramson, R. D. et al. J. biol. Chem. 262, 3826–3832 (1987).
Abramson, R. D. et al. J. biol. Chem. 263, 5462–5467 (1988).
Ray, B. K. et al. J. biol. Chem. 260, 7651–7658 (1985).
Lawson, T. G. et al. J. biol. Chem. 261, 13979–13989 (1986).
Nielsen, P. J. & Trachsel, H. EMBO J. 7, 2097–2105 (1988).
Gubb, D., Shelton, M., Roote, J., McGill, S. & Ashburner, M. Chromosoma 91, 54–64 (1984).
Ashburner, M., Aaron, P. S. & Tsubota, S. Genetics 102, 421–435 (1982).
Pardue, M. L. in Nucleic Acid Hybridisation: A Practical Approach 179–202 (IRL, Oxford, 1985).
Feinberg, A. P. & Vogelstein, B. Analyt. Biochem. 132, 6–13 (1983).
Feinberg, A. P. & Vogelstein, B. Analyt. Biochem. 137, 266–267 (1984).
Chia, W., Savakis, C., Karp, R., Pelham, H. & Ashburner, M. J. molec. Biol. 186, 679–688 (1985).
Fyrberg, E. A., Bond, B. J., Hershey, N. D., Mixter, K. S. & Davidson, N. Cell 24, 107–116 (1981).
Akam, M. E. & Martinez-Arias, A. EMBO J. 4, 1689–1700 (1985).
Sánchez-Herrero, E. & Crosby, M. A. EMBO J. 7, 2163–2173 (1988).
Ingham, P. W., Howard, K. R. & Ish-Horowicz, D. Nature 318, 439–445 (1985).
Campos-Ortega, J. A. & Hartenstein, V. The Embryonic Development of Drosophila melanogaster (Springer, Berlin, 1985).
Messing, J. Meth. Enzym. 101, 20 (1983).
Barnes, W. M., Bevan, M. & Son, P. H. Meth. Enzym. 101, 98–122 (1983).
Devereux, J., Haeberli, P. & Smithies, O. Nucleic Acids Res. 12, 387–395 (1984).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lasko, P., Ashburner, M. The product of the Drosophila gene vasa is very similar to eukaryotic initiation factor-4A. Nature 335, 611–617 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/335611a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/335611a0
This article is cited by
-
Characterization of potential spermatogonia biomarker genes in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla)
Fish Physiology and Biochemistry (2024)
-
Aedes aegypti exhibits a distinctive mode of late ovarian development
BMC Biology (2023)
-
Bombyx Vasa sequesters transposon mRNAs in nuage via phase separation requiring RNA binding and self-association
Nature Communications (2023)
-
The germline factor DDX4 contributes to the chemoresistance of small cell lung cancer cells
Communications Biology (2023)
-
Vasa nucleates asymmetric translation along the mitotic spindle during unequal cell divisions
Nature Communications (2022)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.