Abstrakt, a DEAD box protein, regulates Insc levels and asymmetric division of neural and mesodermal progenitors

U Irion; M Leptin; K Siller; S Fuerstenberg; Y Cai; C Q Doe; W Chia; X H Yang

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2004.01.002

Abstrakt, a DEAD box protein, regulates Insc levels and asymmetric division of neural and mesodermal progenitors

U Irion, M Leptin, K Siller, S Fuerstenberg, Y Cai, C Q Doe, W Chia, X H Yang

King's College London

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

17 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Asymmetric cell division generates cell diversity in bacteria, yeast, and higher eukaryotes [1-3]. In Drosophila, both neural and muscle progenitors divide asymmetrically [4-16]. In these cells the Inscuteable (Insc) protein complex coordinates cell polarity and spindle orientation. Abstrakt (Abs) is a DEAD-box protein that regulates aspects of cell polarity in oocytes and embryos [17]. We use a conditional allele of abs to investigate its role in neural and muscle progenitor cell polarity. In neuroblasts we observe loss of apical Insc crescents, failure in basal protein targeting, and defects in spindle orientation. In the GMC4-2a cell we observe loss of apical Insc crescents, defects in basal protein targeting, and equalization of sibling neuron fates; muscle precursors show a similar equalization of sibling cell fates. These phenotypes resemble those of insc mutants; indeed, abs mutants show a striking loss of Insc protein levels but no change of insc RNA levels. Furthermore, we find that the Abs protein physically interacts with insc RNA. Our results demonstrate a novel role for Abs in the posttranscriptional regulation of insc expression, which is essential for proper cell polarity, spindle orientation, and the establishment of distinct sibling cell fates within embryonic neural and muscle progenitors.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	138 - 144
Number of pages	7
Journal	Current Biology
Volume	14
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2004.01.002
Publication status	Published - 20 Jan 2004

Access to Document

10.1016/j.cub.2004.01.002

Cite this

@article{b0de711053474708995e0eb7fdd11dfd,

title = "Abstrakt, a DEAD box protein, regulates Insc levels and asymmetric division of neural and mesodermal progenitors",

abstract = "Asymmetric cell division generates cell diversity in bacteria, yeast, and higher eukaryotes [1-3]. In Drosophila, both neural and muscle progenitors divide asymmetrically [4-16]. In these cells the Inscuteable (Insc) protein complex coordinates cell polarity and spindle orientation. Abstrakt (Abs) is a DEAD-box protein that regulates aspects of cell polarity in oocytes and embryos [17]. We use a conditional allele of abs to investigate its role in neural and muscle progenitor cell polarity. In neuroblasts we observe loss of apical Insc crescents, failure in basal protein targeting, and defects in spindle orientation. In the GMC4-2a cell we observe loss of apical Insc crescents, defects in basal protein targeting, and equalization of sibling neuron fates; muscle precursors show a similar equalization of sibling cell fates. These phenotypes resemble those of insc mutants; indeed, abs mutants show a striking loss of Insc protein levels but no change of insc RNA levels. Furthermore, we find that the Abs protein physically interacts with insc RNA. Our results demonstrate a novel role for Abs in the posttranscriptional regulation of insc expression, which is essential for proper cell polarity, spindle orientation, and the establishment of distinct sibling cell fates within embryonic neural and muscle progenitors.",

author = "U Irion and M Leptin and K Siller and S Fuerstenberg and Y Cai and Doe, {C Q} and W Chia and Yang, {X H}",

year = "2004",

month = jan,

day = "20",

doi = "10.1016/j.cub.2004.01.002",

language = "English",

volume = "14",

pages = "138 -- 144",

journal = "Current Biology",

issn = "1879-0445",

publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Abstrakt, a DEAD box protein, regulates Insc levels and asymmetric division of neural and mesodermal progenitors

AU - Irion, U

AU - Leptin, M

AU - Siller, K

AU - Fuerstenberg, S

AU - Cai, Y

AU - Doe, C Q

AU - Chia, W

AU - Yang, X H

PY - 2004/1/20

Y1 - 2004/1/20

N2 - Asymmetric cell division generates cell diversity in bacteria, yeast, and higher eukaryotes [1-3]. In Drosophila, both neural and muscle progenitors divide asymmetrically [4-16]. In these cells the Inscuteable (Insc) protein complex coordinates cell polarity and spindle orientation. Abstrakt (Abs) is a DEAD-box protein that regulates aspects of cell polarity in oocytes and embryos [17]. We use a conditional allele of abs to investigate its role in neural and muscle progenitor cell polarity. In neuroblasts we observe loss of apical Insc crescents, failure in basal protein targeting, and defects in spindle orientation. In the GMC4-2a cell we observe loss of apical Insc crescents, defects in basal protein targeting, and equalization of sibling neuron fates; muscle precursors show a similar equalization of sibling cell fates. These phenotypes resemble those of insc mutants; indeed, abs mutants show a striking loss of Insc protein levels but no change of insc RNA levels. Furthermore, we find that the Abs protein physically interacts with insc RNA. Our results demonstrate a novel role for Abs in the posttranscriptional regulation of insc expression, which is essential for proper cell polarity, spindle orientation, and the establishment of distinct sibling cell fates within embryonic neural and muscle progenitors.

AB - Asymmetric cell division generates cell diversity in bacteria, yeast, and higher eukaryotes [1-3]. In Drosophila, both neural and muscle progenitors divide asymmetrically [4-16]. In these cells the Inscuteable (Insc) protein complex coordinates cell polarity and spindle orientation. Abstrakt (Abs) is a DEAD-box protein that regulates aspects of cell polarity in oocytes and embryos [17]. We use a conditional allele of abs to investigate its role in neural and muscle progenitor cell polarity. In neuroblasts we observe loss of apical Insc crescents, failure in basal protein targeting, and defects in spindle orientation. In the GMC4-2a cell we observe loss of apical Insc crescents, defects in basal protein targeting, and equalization of sibling neuron fates; muscle precursors show a similar equalization of sibling cell fates. These phenotypes resemble those of insc mutants; indeed, abs mutants show a striking loss of Insc protein levels but no change of insc RNA levels. Furthermore, we find that the Abs protein physically interacts with insc RNA. Our results demonstrate a novel role for Abs in the posttranscriptional regulation of insc expression, which is essential for proper cell polarity, spindle orientation, and the establishment of distinct sibling cell fates within embryonic neural and muscle progenitors.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=1142294043&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.cub.2004.01.002

DO - 10.1016/j.cub.2004.01.002

M3 - Article

SN - 1879-0445

VL - 14

SP - 138

EP - 144

JO - Current Biology

JF - Current Biology

IS - 2

ER -

Abstrakt, a DEAD box protein, regulates Insc levels and asymmetric division of neural and mesodermal progenitors

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this