scholarly journals Microtubule Organizing Centers Contain Testis-Specific γ-TuRC Proteins in Spermatids of Drosophila

Author(s):  
Elham Alzyoud ◽  
Viktor Vedelek ◽  
Zsuzsánna Réthi-Nagy ◽  
Zoltán Lipinszki ◽  
Rita Sinka

Microtubule nucleation in eukaryotes is primarily promoted by γ-tubulin and the evolutionary conserved protein complex, γ-Tubulin Ring Complex (γ-TuRC). γ-TuRC is part of the centrosome and basal body, which are the best-known microtubule-organizing centers. Centrosomes undergo intensive and dynamic changes during spermatogenesis, as they turn into basal bodies, a prerequisite for axoneme formation during spermatogenesis. Here we describe the existence of a novel, tissue-specific γ-TuRC in Drosophila. We characterize three genes encoding testis-specific components of γ-TuRC (t-γ-TuRC) and find that presence of t-γ-TuRC is essential to male fertility. We show the diverse subcellular distribution of the t-γ-TuRC proteins during post-meiotic development, at first at the centriole adjunct and then also on the anterior tip of the nucleus, and finally, they appear in the tail region, close to the mitochondria. We also prove the physical interactions between the t-γ-TuRC members, γ-tubulin and Mozart1. Our results further indicate heterogeneity in γ-TuRC composition during spermatogenesis and suggest that the different post-meiotic microtubule organizing centers are orchestrated by testis-specific gene products, including t-γ-TuRC.

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 2152
Author(s):  
Robin Loesch ◽  
Linda Chenane ◽  
Sabine Colnot

Chromatin remodelers are found highly mutated in cancer including hepatocellular carcinoma. These mutations frequently occur in ARID (AT-rich Interactive Domain) genes, encoding subunits of the ATP-dependent SWI/SNF remodelers. The increasingly prevalent complexity that surrounds the functions and specificities of the highly modular BAF (BG1/BRM-associated factors) and PBAF (polybromo-associated BAF) complexes, including ARID1A/B or ARID2, is baffling. The involvement of the SWI/SNF complexes in diverse tissues and processes, and especially in the regulation of gene expression, multiplies the specific outcomes of specific gene alterations. A better understanding of the molecular consequences of specific mutations impairing chromatin remodelers is needed. In this review, we summarize what we know about the tumor-modulating properties of ARID2 in hepatocellular carcinoma.


2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 1483-1487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Throm ◽  
Stanley M. Spinola

ABSTRACT Haemophilus ducreyi expresses several putative virulence factors in vitro. Isogenic mutant-to-parent comparisons have been performed in a human model of experimental infection to examine whether specific gene products are involved in pathogenesis. Several mutants (momp, ftpA, losB, lst, cdtC, and hhdB) were as virulent as the parent in the human model, suggesting that their gene products did not play a major role in pustule formation. However, we could not exclude the possibility that the gene of interest was not expressed during the initial stages of infection. Biopsies of pustules obtained from volunteers infected with H. ducreyiwere subjected to reverse transcription-PCR. Transcripts corresponding to momp, ftpA, losB, lst, cdtB, and hhdA were expressed in vivo. In addition, transcripts for other putative virulence determinants such as ompA2, tdhA, lspA1, andlspA2 were detected in the biopsies. These results indicate that although several candidate virulence determinants are expressed during experimental infection, they do not have a major role in the initial stages of pathogenesis.


1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 6232-6243
Author(s):  
J Zhou ◽  
E N Olson

The muscle-specific basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein myogenin activates muscle transcription by binding to target sequences in muscle-specific promoters and enhancers as a heterodimer with ubiquitous bHLH proteins, such as the E2A gene products E12 and E47. We show that dimerization with E2A products potentiates phosphorylation of myogenin at sites within its amino- and carboxyl-terminal transcription activation domains. Phosphorylation of myogenin at these sites was mediated by the bHLH region of E2A products and was dependent on dimerization but not on DNA binding. Mutations of the dimerization-dependent phosphorylation sites resulted in enhanced transcriptional activity of myogenin, suggesting that their phosphorylation diminishes myogenin's transcriptional activity. The ability of E2A products to potentiate myogenin phosphorylation suggests that dimerization induces a conformational change in myogenin that unmasks otherwise cryptic phosphorylation sites or that E2A proteins recruit a kinase for which myogenin is a substrate. That phosphorylation of these dimerization-dependent sites diminished myogenin's transcriptional activity suggests that these sites are targets for a kinase that interferes with muscle-specific gene expression.


1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 1023-1031
Author(s):  
R Terracol ◽  
N Prud'homme

In Drosophila melanogaster, the multiply repeated genes encoding 18S and 28S rRNA are located on the X and Y chromosomes. A large percentage of these repeats are interrupted in the 28S region by insertions of two types. We compared the restriction patterns from a subcloned wild-type Oregon R strain to those of spontaneous and ethyl methanesulfonate-induced bobbed mutants. Bobbed mutations were found to be deficiencies that modified the organization of the rDNA locus. Genes without insertions were deleted about twice as often as genes with type I insertions. Type II insertion genes were not decreased in number, except in the mutant having the most bobbed phenotype. Reversion to wild type was associated with an increase in gene copy number, affecting exclusively genes without insertions. One hypothesis which explains these results is the partial clustering of genes by type. The initial deletion could then be due either to an unequal crossover or to loss of material without exchange. Some of our findings indicated that deletion may be associated with an amplification phenomenon, the magnitude of which would be dependent on the amount of clustering of specific gene types at the locus.


Author(s):  
Najma Shaheen ◽  
Jawad Akhtar ◽  
Zain Umer ◽  
Muhammad Haider Farooq Khan ◽  
Mahnoor Hussain Bakhtiari ◽  
...  

In metazoans, heritable states of cell type-specific gene expression patterns linked with specialization of various cell types constitute transcriptional cellular memory. Evolutionarily conserved Polycomb group (PcG) and trithorax group (trxG) proteins contribute to the transcriptional cellular memory by maintaining heritable patterns of repressed and active expression states, respectively. Although chromatin structure and modifications appear to play a fundamental role in maintenance of repression by PcG, the precise targeting mechanism and the specificity factors that bind PcG complexes to defined regions in chromosomes remain elusive. Here, we report a serendipitous discovery that uncovers an interplay between Polycomb (Pc) and chaperonin containing T-complex protein 1 (TCP-1) subunit 7 (CCT7) of TCP-1 ring complex (TRiC) chaperonin in Drosophila. CCT7 interacts with Pc at chromatin to maintain repressed states of homeotic and non-homeotic targets of PcG, which supports a strong genetic interaction observed between Pc and CCT7 mutants. Depletion of CCT7 results in dissociation of Pc from chromatin and redistribution of an abundant amount of Pc in cytoplasm. We propose that CCT7 is an important modulator of Pc, which helps Pc recruitment at chromatin, and compromising CCT7 can directly influence an evolutionary conserved epigenetic network that supervises the appropriate cellular identities during development and homeostasis of an organism.


1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 3895-3905
Author(s):  
S Kjaerulff ◽  
J Davey ◽  
O Nielsen

We previously identified two genes, mfm1 and mfm2, with the potential to encode the M-factor mating pheromone of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe (J. Davey, EMBO J. 11:951-960, 1992), but further analysis revealed that a mutant strain lacking both genes still produced active M-factor. Here we describe the isolation and characterization of a third M-factor gene, mfm3. A mutant lacking all three genes fails to produce M-factor, indicating that all functional M-factor genes now have been identified. The triple mutant exhibits an absolute mating defect in M cells, a defect that is not rescued by addition of exogenous M-factor. A mutational analysis reveals that all three mfm genes contribute to the production of M-factor. Their transcription is limited to M cells and requires the mat1-Mc and ste11 gene products. Each gene is induced when the cells are starved of nitrogen and further induced by a pheromone signal. Additionally, the signal transduction machinery associated with the pheromone response is required for transcription of the mfm genes in both stimulated and unstimulated cells.


1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 3990-3998
Author(s):  
S Harashima ◽  
A G Hinnebusch

GCN4 encodes a positive regulator of multiple unlinked genes encoding amino acid biosynthetic enzymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Expression of GCN4 is coupled to amino acid availability by a control mechanism involving GCD1 as a negative effector and GCN1, GCN2, and GCN3 as positive effectors of GCN4 expression. We used reversion of a gcn2 gcn3 double mutation to isolate new alleles of GCD1 and mutations in four additional GCD genes which we designate GCD10, GCD11, GCD12, and GCD13. All of the mutations lead to constitutive derepression of HIS4 transcription in the absence of the GCN2+ and GCN3+ alleles. By contrast, the gcd mutations require the wild-type GCN4 allele for their derepressing effect, suggesting that each acts by influencing the level of GCN4 activity in the cell. Consistent with this interpretation, mutations in each GCD gene lead to constitutive derepression of a GCN4::lacZ gene fusion. Thus, at least five gene products are required to maintain the normal repressed level of GCN4 expression in nonstarvation conditions. Interestingly, the gcd mutations are pleiotropic and also affect growth rate in nonstarvation conditions. In addition, certain alleles lead to a loss of M double-stranded RNA required for the killer phenotype. This pleiotropy suggests that the GCD gene products contribute to an essential cellular function, in addition to, or in conjunction with, their role in GCN4 regulation.


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