Cell
Volume 79, Issue 7, 30 December 1994, Pages 1221-1232
Journal home page for Cell

Article
Staufen protein associates with the 3′UTR of bicoid mRNA to form particles that move in a microtubule-dependent manner

https://doi.org/10.1016/0092-8674(94)90013-2Get rights and content

Abstract

Staufen protein is required in order to anchor bicoid (bcd) mRNA at the anterior pole of the Drosophila egg. Here we show that staufen protein colocalizes with bcd mRNA at the anterior, and that this localization depends upon its association with the mRNA. Upon injection into the embryo, bcd transcripts specifically interact with staufen, and we have mapped the sequences required to three regions of the 3′UTR, each of which is predicted to form a long stem-loop. The resulting staufen-bcd 3′UTR complexes form particles that show a microtubule-dependent localization. Since staufen is also transported with oskar (osk) mRNA during oogenesis, staufen associates specifically with both osk and bcd mRNAs to mediate their localizations, but at two distinct stages of development.

References (49)

  • D. St Johnston et al.

    staufen, a gene required to localize maternal RNAs in the Drosophila egg

    Cell

    (1991)
  • B. Suter et al.

    Requirement for phosphorylation and localiation of the Bicaudal-D protein in Drosophila oocyte differentiation

    Cell

    (1991)
  • C. Wang et al.

    Nanos is the localized posterior determinant in Drosophila

    Cell

    (1991)
  • K. Ainger et al.

    Transport and localization of exogenous myelin basic protein mRNA microinjected into oligodendrocytes

    J. Cell Biol.

    (1993)
  • G. Akusjärvi et al.

    Structure of genes for virus-associated RNAI and RNAII of adenovirus type 2

  • T. Berleth et al.

    The role of localization of bicoid RNA in organizing the anterior pattern of the Drosophilla embryo

    EMBO J.

    (1988)
  • M. De Brabander et al.

    Microtubule dynamics during the cell-cycle: the effect of taxol and nocodazole on the microtubule system of Pt K2 cells at different stages of the mitotic cycle

    Int. Rev. Cytol.

    (1986)
  • W. Driever

    Maternal control of anterior development

  • W. Driever et al.

    Autonomous determination of anterior structures in the early Drosophila embryo by the bicoid morphogen

    Development

    (1990)
  • B. Edgar et al.

    Cytoarchitecture and the patterning of fushi tarazu expression in the Drosophila blastoderm

    Genes Dev.

    (1987)
  • A. Ephrussi et al.

    Induction of germ cell formation by oskar

    Nature

    (1992)
  • H.G. Frohnhöfer et al.

    Maternal genes required for the anterior localization of bicoid activity in the embryo of Drosophila

    Genes Dev.

    (1987)
  • M. Gans et al.

    Isolation and characterization of sex-linked female-sterile mutants in Drosophila melanogaster

    Genetics

    (1975)
  • E.R. Gavis et al.

    Localization of nanos RNA controls embryonic polarity

    Cell

    (1992)
  • Cited by (362)

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text