Journal
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
Volume 332, Issue 1, Pages 142-155Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2009.05.553
Keywords
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA); Survival motor neuron (SMN); U body; P body; Drosophila; Nurse cell; Oocyte; Cajal body; Histone locus body
Categories
Funding
- Medical Research Council
- Medical Research Council [MC_U137788471] Funding Source: researchfish
- MRC [MC_U137788471] Funding Source: UKRI
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Survival motor neuron protein (SMN) is the determining factor for the human neurodegenerative disease spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). SMN is critical for small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) assembly. Using Drosophila oogenesis as a model system, we show that mutations in smn cause abnormal nuclear organization in nurse cells and oocytes. Germline and mitotic clonal analysis reveals that both nurse cells and oocytes require SMN to maintain normal organization of nuclear compartments including chromosomes, nucleoli, Cajal bodies and histone locus bodies. We previously found that SMN-containing U bodies invariably associate with P bodies (Liu, J. L., and Gall, J. G. (2007). U bodies are cytoplasmic structures that contain uridine-rich small nuclear ribonucleoproteins and associate with P bodies. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 104, 11655-11659.). Multiple lines of evidence implicate SMN in the regulation of germline nuclear organization through the connection of U bodies and P bodies. Firstly, strut germline clones phenocopy mutations for two P body components, Cup and Ovarian tumour (Otu). Secondly, P body mutations disrupt SMN distribution and the organization of U bodies. Finally, mutations in smn disrupt the function and organization of U bodies and P bodies. Taken together, our results suggest that SMN is required for the functional integrity of the U body-P body pathway, which in turn is important for maintaining proper nuclear architecture. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available