In Vivo Colocalisation of oskar mRNA and Trans-Acting Proteins Revealed by Quantitative Imaging of the Drosophila Oocyte

Authors

Musa M. Mhlanga, Institut Pasteur
Diana P. Bratu, CUNY Hunter College
Auguste Genovesio, Institut Pasteur
Agata Rybarska, Institut Pasteur
Nicolas Chenouard, Institut Pasteur
Ulf Nehrbass, Institut Pasteur
Jean-Christophe Olivo-Marin, Institut Pasteur

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

July 2009

Abstract

Efficient mRNA transport in eukaryotes requires highly orchestrated relationships between nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. For oskar mRNA, the Drosophila posterior determinant, these spatio-temporal requirements remain opaque during its multi-step transport process. By in vivo covisualization of oskar mRNA with Staufen, its putative trafficking protein, we find oskar mRNA to be present in particles distinct from Staufen for part of its transport. oskar mRNA stably associated with Staufen near the posterior pole. We observe oskar mRNA to oligomerize as hundreds of copies forming large particles which are necessary for its long range transport and localization. We show the formation of these particles occurs in the nurse cell nucleus in an Hrp48-dependent manner. We present a more refined model of oskar mRNA transport in the Drosophila oocyte.

Comments

This work was originally published in PLoS ONE, available at doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0006241.