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PMID: 9155007 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Essential role for gamma-tubulin in the acentriolar female meiotic spindle of Drosophila.

The EMBO journal ·Vol. 16 ·No. 8 ·1997-04-15 ·Pages 1809-19

Tavosanis G, Llamazares S, Goulielmos G, Gonzalez C

Abstract

Microtubule nucleation in vivo requires gamma-tubulin, a highly conserved component of microtubule-organizing centers. In Drosophila melanogaster there are two gamma-tubulin genes, gammaTUB23C and gammaTUB37C. Here we report the cytological and molecular characterization of the 37C isoform. By Western blotting, this protein can only be detected in ovaries and embryos. Antibodies against this isoform predominantly label the centrosomes in embryos from early cleavage divisions until cycle 15, but fail to reveal any particular localization of gamma-tubulin in the developing egg chambers. The loss of function of this gene results in female sterility and has no effect on viability or male fertility. Early stages of oogenesis are unaffected by mutations in this gene, as judged both by morphological criteria and by localization of reporter genes, but the female meiotic spindle is extremely disrupted. Nuclear proliferation within the eggs laid by mutant females is also impaired. We conclude that the expression of the 37C gamma-tubulin isoform of D. melanogaster is under strict developmental regulation and that the organization of the female meiotic spindle requires gamma-tubulin.

MeSH Terms
Animals Base Sequence Centrosome/chemistry Drosophila melanogaster/cytology,genetics Embryo, Nonmammalian/chemistry Female Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental Infertility, Female/genetics Meiosis/physiology Microtubules/chemistry Molecular Sequence Data Mutation Oocytes/chemistry,cytology Oogenesis/physiology Ovary/chemistry Phenotype RNA, Messenger/analysis Spindle Apparatus/chemistry Tubulin/analysis,genetics
Chemicals
RNA, Messenger Tubulin
Authors & Affiliations
4 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Tavosanis G
European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany.
Llamazares S
Goulielmos G
Gonzalez C
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Article Info
Journal
The EMBO journal
Abbr.
EMBO J
ISSN
0261-4189
DOI
10.1093/emboj/16.8.1809
Published
1997-04-15
Pages
1809-19
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
8208664
PMCID
PMC1169784
Subset
IM
Databases
GENBANK
AF081252, AF081253, AJ010552
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1093/emboj/16.8.1809 PMC Full Text View journal details
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