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ECB-ART-43551
Development 2014 Aug 01;14116:3134-42. doi: 10.1242/dev.110395.
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Deadenylase depletion protects inherited mRNAs in primordial germ cells.

Swartz SZ , Reich AM , Oulhen N , Raz T , Milos PM , Campanale JP , Hamdoun A , Wessel GM .


Abstract
A crucial event in animal development is the specification of primordial germ cells (PGCs), which become the stem cells that create sperm and eggs. How PGCs are created provides a valuable paradigm for understanding stem cells in general. We find that the PGCs of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus exhibit broad transcriptional repression, yet enrichment for a set of inherited mRNAs. Enrichment of several germline determinants in the PGCs requires the RNA-binding protein Nanos to target the transcript that encodes CNOT6, a deadenylase, for degradation in the PGCs, thereby creating a stable environment for RNA. Misexpression of CNOT6 in the PGCs results in their failure to retain Seawi transcripts and Vasa protein. Conversely, broad knockdown of CNOT6 expands the domain of Seawi RNA as well as exogenous reporters. Thus, Nanos-dependent spatially restricted CNOT6 differential expression is used to selectively localize germline RNAs to the PGCs. Our findings support a ''time capsule'' model of germline determination, whereby the PGCs are insulated from differentiation by retaining the molecular characteristics of the totipotent egg and early embryo.

PubMed ID: 25100654
PMC ID: PMC4197533
Article link: Development
Grant support: [+]

Genes referenced: ddx4 LOC100887844 LOC583082 piwil3
Antibodies: ddx4 Ab1 ddx4 Ab2 methyl-LOC754126 Ab1 phospho-LOC583794 Ab1
Morpholinos: cnot6l MO1 cnot6l MO2 cnot6l MO3 cnot6l MO4 nanos2l MO1 pum2 MO1

References [+] :
Bashirullah, Joint action of two RNA degradation pathways controls the timing of maternal transcript elimination at the midblastula transition in Drosophila melanogaster. 1999, Pubmed