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Conserved signals and machinery for RNA transport in Drosophila oogenesis and embryogenesis

Nature volume 414, pages 611–616 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Localization of cytoplasmic messenger RNA transcripts is widely used to target proteins within cells. For many transcripts, localization depends on cis-acting elements within the transcripts and on microtubule-based motors; however, little is known about other components of the transport machinery or how these components recognize specific RNA cargoes. Here, we show that in Drosophila the same machinery and RNA signals drive specific accumulation of maternal RNAs in the early oocyte and apical transcript localization in blastoderm embryos. We demonstrate in vivo that Egalitarian (Egl) and Bicaudal D (BicD), maternal proteins required for oocyte determination, are selectively recruited by, and co-transported with, localizing transcripts in blastoderm embryos, and that interfering with the activities of Egl and BicD blocks apical localization. We propose that Egl and BicD are core components of a selective dynein motor complex that drives transcript localization in a variety of tissues.

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Figure 1: Localization of zygotic and maternal transcripts in blastoderm embryos.
Figure 2: Conservation of RNA localization signals during oogenesis and embryogenesis.
Figure 3: Colocalization of Egl, BicD and Dhc proteins and recruitment of Egl and BicD to localizing transcripts.
Figure 4: Requirement for BicD and Egl for apical transcript localization in the blastoderm.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to I. Davis, N. MacDougall, G. Wilkie, D. Baker, A. Flament and J. Hughes for discussions; R. Lehmann, R. Steward, D. Sharp, B. Suter, M. Jacobs-Lorena, D. St Johnston, G. Dollar, L. Gavis, B. Cohen and Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank for providing reagents; and many colleagues for comments on the manuscript. This work was supported by the Imperial Cancer Research Fund and a fellowship from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 (to S.L.B.).

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  1. Developmental Genetics Laboratory, Imperial Cancer Research Fund, PO Box 123, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3PX, UK

    Simon L. Bullock & David Ish-Horowicz

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Correspondence to David Ish-Horowicz.

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Bullock, S., Ish-Horowicz, D. Conserved signals and machinery for RNA transport in Drosophila oogenesis and embryogenesis. Nature 414, 611–616 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/414611a

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