ECB-ART-41987
Development
2011 Jun 01;13811:2217-22. doi: 10.1242/dev.065052.
The DEAD -box RNA helicase Vasa functions in embryonic mitotic progression in the sea urchin.
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Vasa is a broadly conserved ATP-dependent
RNA helicase that functions in the germ line of organisms from cnidarians to mammals. Curiously,
Vasa is also present in the somatic cells of many animals and functions as a regulator of multipotent cells. Here, we report a mitotic function of
Vasa revealed in the sea urchin
embryo . We found that
Vasa protein is present in all blastomeres of the early
embryo and that its abundance oscillates with the cell cycle.
Vasa associates with the spindle and the separating sister chromatids at metaphase, and then quickly disappears after telophase. Inhibition of
Vasa protein synthesis interferes with proper chromosome segregation, arrests cells at M-phase, and delays overall cell cycle progression. Cdk activity is necessary for the proper localization of
Vasa , implying that
Vasa is involved in the cyclin-dependent cell cycle network, and
Vasa is required for the efficient translation of cyclinB mRNA. Our results suggest an evolutionarily conserved role of
Vasa that is independent of its function in germ line determination.
???displayArticle.pubmedLink???
21525076
???displayArticle.pmcLink???
PMC3091493
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Development
Genes referenced:
ddx4
LOC100887844
LOC105441782
LOC115919910
LOC578749
LOC587482
???displayArticle.morpholinos???
ddx4 MO1
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