The GNU subunit of PNG kinase, the developmental regulator of mRNA translation, binds BIC-C to localize to RNP granules
Abstract
Control of mRNA translation is a key mechanism by which the differentiated oocyte transitions to a totipotent embryo. In Drosophila, the PNG kinase complex regulates maternal mRNA translation at the oocyte-to-embryo transition. We previously showed the GNU activating subunit is crucial in regulating PNG and timing its activity to the window between egg activation and early embryogenesis (Hara et al., 2017). In this study, we find associations between GNU and proteins of RNP granules and demonstrate that GNU localizes to cytoplasmic RNP granules in the mature oocyte, identifying GNU as a new component of a subset of RNP granules. Furthermore, we define roles for the domains of GNU. Interactions between GNU and the granule component BIC-C reveal potential conserved functions for translational regulation in metazoan development. We propose that by binding to BIC-C, upon egg activation GNU brings PNG to its initial targets, translational repressors in RNP granules.
Data availability
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting files. Source data files have been provided for Figure 1, Figure 1-Supplement 1, Figure 1-Supplement 2, Figure 1-Supplement 3, Figure 2, Figure 3-Supplement 1, Figure 4, Figure 4-Supplement 1, Figure 5, Figure 5-Supplement 1, Figure 6, Table 1, and Supplementary Table 1.
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
National Institutes of Health (GM118090)
- Terry L Orr-Weaver
JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Masatoshi Hara
Uehara Memorial Foundation
- Masatoshi Hara
JSPS KAKENHI (JP20H05367)
- Masatoshi Hara
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Copyright
© 2021, Avilés-Pagán et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
Metrics
-
- 724
- views
-
- 98
- downloads
-
- 3
- citations
Views, downloads and citations are aggregated across all versions of this paper published by eLife.
Download links
Downloads (link to download the article as PDF)
Open citations (links to open the citations from this article in various online reference manager services)
Cite this article (links to download the citations from this article in formats compatible with various reference manager tools)
Further reading
-
- Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
- Cell Biology
Troubleshooting is an important part of experimental research, but graduate students rarely receive formal training in this skill. In this article, we describe an initiative called Pipettes and Problem Solving that we developed to teach troubleshooting skills to graduate students at the University of Texas at Austin. An experienced researcher presents details of a hypothetical experiment that has produced unexpected results, and students have to propose new experiments that will help identify the source of the problem. We also provide slides and other resources that can be used to facilitate problem solving and teach troubleshooting skills at other institutions.
-
- Cell Biology
The accumulation of SIRT4 in the nuclei of kidney cells drives kidney fibrosis, so blocking the movement of this protein could be a potential therapeutic strategy against fibrosis.