TY - JOUR
T1 - Translational repression restricts expression of the C. elegans Nanos homolog NOS-2 to the embryonic germline
AU - D'Agostino, Ingrid
AU - Merritt, Chris
AU - Chen, Pei Lung
AU - Seydoux, Geraldine
AU - Subramaniam, Kuppuswamy
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by NIH grant R01HD37407. KS is currently supported by a Senior Research Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust, London, UK.
PY - 2006/4/1
Y1 - 2006/4/1
N2 - Members of the nanos gene family are evolutionarily conserved regulators of germ cell development. In several organisms, Nanos protein expression is restricted to the primordial germ cells (PGCs) during early embryogenesis. Here, we investigate the regulation of the Caenorhabditis elegans nanos homolog nos-2. We find that the nos-2 RNA is translationally repressed. In the adult germline, translation of the nos-2 RNA is inhibited in growing oocytes, and this inhibition depends on a short stem loop in the nos-2 3′UTR. In embryos, nos-2 translation is repressed in early blastomeres, and this inhibition depends on a second region in the nos-2 3′UTR. nos-2 RNA is also degraded in somatic blastomeres by a process that is independent of translational repression and requires the CCCH finger proteins MEX-5 and MEX-6. Finally, the germ plasm component POS-1 activates nos-2 translation in the PGCs. A combination of translational repression, RNA degradation, and activation by germ plasm has also been implicated in the regulation of nanos homologs in Drosophila and zebrafish, suggesting the existence of conserved mechanisms to restrict Nanos expression to the germline.
AB - Members of the nanos gene family are evolutionarily conserved regulators of germ cell development. In several organisms, Nanos protein expression is restricted to the primordial germ cells (PGCs) during early embryogenesis. Here, we investigate the regulation of the Caenorhabditis elegans nanos homolog nos-2. We find that the nos-2 RNA is translationally repressed. In the adult germline, translation of the nos-2 RNA is inhibited in growing oocytes, and this inhibition depends on a short stem loop in the nos-2 3′UTR. In embryos, nos-2 translation is repressed in early blastomeres, and this inhibition depends on a second region in the nos-2 3′UTR. nos-2 RNA is also degraded in somatic blastomeres by a process that is independent of translational repression and requires the CCCH finger proteins MEX-5 and MEX-6. Finally, the germ plasm component POS-1 activates nos-2 translation in the PGCs. A combination of translational repression, RNA degradation, and activation by germ plasm has also been implicated in the regulation of nanos homologs in Drosophila and zebrafish, suggesting the existence of conserved mechanisms to restrict Nanos expression to the germline.
KW - CCCH finger
KW - Caenorhabditis elegans
KW - Germ cells
KW - Nanos
KW - RNA degradation
KW - Translational control
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ydbio.2005.11.046
DO - 10.1016/j.ydbio.2005.11.046
M3 - Article
C2 - 16499902
AN - SCOPUS:33646447399
SN - 0012-1606
VL - 292
SP - 244
EP - 252
JO - Developmental biology
JF - Developmental biology
IS - 1
ER -