Tebufenozide disrupts ovarian development and function in silkmoths

Adult development and production of up to 400 eggs within the pupal case of female silkmoths are both dependent on 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), the steroid hormone of insects. When adult development was initiated with tebufenozide, the non-steroidal ecdysteroid agonist, instead of 20E, full development of all epidermal tissues like the wing was witnessed, but ovarian growth and egg formation was minimal. Administration of tebufenozide to female pharate adults caused disruption of the follicular epithelium, produced nurse cell damage, and inhibited oogenesis. Reduced ability to synthesize RNA and protein accompanied these tebufenozide induced morphological disturbances of the follicles. In vivo accumulation of vitellogenin (Vg) from the hemolymph was reduced in tebufenozide treated female ovaries as well as their ability to accumulate Vg in vitro. Determination of protein staining intensity and antibody reactivity of Vg pointed out that hemolymph Vg level remained fairly constant all through adult development whether induced by 20E or tebufenozide. Measurement of hemolymph volumes and hemolymph Vg levels of control and experimental animals allowed us to conclude that egg development involves the uptake of all the hemolymph proteins and not Vg alone. The loss of hemolymph that accompanies egg maturation was considerably reduced in tebufenozide initiated female pharate adults. 20E could not overcome ovarian growth inhibitory effects of tebufenozide. Dual mechanisms, one involving ecdysteroid antagonist action at the beginning of development, and the other unrelated to that function during heightened egg formation, are needed explain the biphasic inhibitory actions of tebufenozide on silkmoth ovaries.     

Conserved and clustered RNA recognition sequences are a critical feature of signals directing RNA localization in Xenopus oocytes

Although it is widely regarded that the targeting of RNA molecules to subcellular destinations depends upon the recognition of cis-elements found within their 3' untranslated regions (UTR), relatively little is known about the specific features of these cis-sequences that underlie their function. Interaction between specific repeated motifs within the 3' UTR and RNA-binding proteins has been proposed as a critical step in the localization of Vg1 RNA to the vegetal pole of Xenopus oocytes. To understand the relative contributions of repeated localization element (LE) sequences, we used comparative functional analysis of Vg1 LEs from two frog species, Xenopus laevis and Xenopus borealis. We show that clusters of repeated VM1 and E2 motifs are required for efficient localization. However, groups of either site alone are not sufficient for localization. In addition, we present evidence that the X. borealis Vg1 LE is recognized by the same set of RNA-binding proteins as the X. laevis Vg1 LE and is capable of productive interactions with the X. laevis transport machinery as it is sufficient to direct vegetal localization in X. laevis oocytes. These results suggest that clustered sets of cis-acting sites within the LE direct vegetal transport through specific interactions with the localization machinery.     

Vg1 RNA localization in oocytes in the absence of xVICKZ3 RNA-binding activity

Vg 1 RNA becomes localized at the vegetal cortex of Xenopus oocytes in a process requiring both intact microtubules (MT) and microfilaments. This localization occurs during a narrow window of oogenesis, when a number of RNA-binding proteins associate with the RNA. xVICKZ3 (Vg1 RBP/Vera), the first Vg1 RNA-binding protein identified, helps mediate the association of Vg1 RNA with MT and is co-localized with the RNA at the vegetal cortex. Given the complexity of the Vg1 RNA ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex, it has remained unclear how xVICKZ3 functions in Vg1 RNA localization. Here, we have taken a closer look at the process of xVICKZ3 localization in oocytes. We have made use of deletion constructs to perform a structure-function analysis of xVICKZ3. The ability of xVICKZ3-GFP constructs to vegetally localize correlates with their association to MT but not with Vg1 RNA-binding ability. We find that when the ability of xVICKZ3 to bind Vg1 RNA is inhibited by the injection of a construct that dominantly inhibits RNA binding, both the construct and Vg1 RNA still localize, apparently through their continued association with a Vg1 RNA-containing RNP complex. These results emphasize the importance of protein-protein interactions in both xVICKZ3 and Vg1 RNA localization.     

柞蚕Dsx基因的体外扩增

依据已测知的天蚕卵黄原基因5’端调控区序列设计特异性引物以柞蚕基因组DNA为模板对柞蚕卵黄原基因5’端调控区序列进行克隆并测序,成功获得了柞蚕卵黄原基因5’端调控区部分序列并在其中找到了柞蚕Bm dsx性别决定位点(ACATTGT)及CdxA,CREB,和GATA等昆虫基因调控元件。     

RNA localization in Xenopus oocytes uses a core group of trans-acting factors irrespective of destination

The 3′ untranslated region of mRNA encoding PHAX, a phosphoprotein required for nuclear export of U-type snRNAs, contains cis-acting sequence motifs E2 and VM1 that are required for localization of RNAs to the vegetal hemisphere of Xenopus oocytes. However, we have found that PHAX mRNA is transported to the opposite, animal, hemisphere. A set of proteins that cross-link to the localization elements of vegetally localized RNAs are also cross-linked to PHAX and An1 mRNAs, demonstrating that the composition of RNP complexes that form on these localization elements is highly conserved irrespective of the final destination of the RNA. The ability of RNAs to bind this core group of proteins is correlated with localization activity. Staufen1, which binds to Vg1 and VegT mRNAs, is not associated with RNAs localized to the animal hemisphere and may determine, at least in part, the direction of RNA movement in Xenopus oocytes.     

昆虫卵黄发生研究进展

昆虫卵黄发生研究进展李乾君,龚和,管致和（中国科学院动物研究所北京１０００８０）（北京农业大学植保系北京１０００９４）昆虫卵的成熟一般分为三个时期－－卵黄发生前期（Ｐｒｅｖｉｔｅｌｌｏｇｅｎｉｃｓｔａｇｅ）、卵黄发生期（ｖｉｔｅｌｌｏｇｅｎｉｃｓｔａ...     

Nuclear RNP complex assembly initiates cytoplasmic RNA localization

Cytoplasmic localization of mRNAs is a widespread mechanism for generating cell polarity and can provide the basis for patterning during embryonic development. A prominent example of this is localization of maternal mRNAs in Xenopus oocytes, a process requiring recognition of essential RNA sequences by protein components of the localization machinery. However, it is not yet clear how and when such protein factors associate with localized RNAs to carry out RNA transport. To trace the RNA-protein interactions that mediate RNA localization, we analyzed RNP complexes from the nucleus and cytoplasm. We find that an early step in the localization pathway is recognition of localized RNAs by specific RNA-binding proteins in the nucleus. After transport into the cytoplasm, the RNP complex is remodeled and additional transport factors are recruited. These results suggest that cytoplasmic RNA localization initiates in the nucleus and that binding of specific RNA-binding proteins in the nucleus may act to target RNAs to their appropriate destinations in the cytoplasm.     

Xenopus ElrB, but not ElrA, binds RNA as an oligomer: possible role of the linker

We have shown that ElrA and ElrB, Xenopus ELAV homologues, bind the Vg1 mRNA 3'UTR translation element in Xenopus oocytes and implicated ElrB in mediating translational repression during oogenesis. Here we report that, while ElrA and ElrB are 69% identical and both exhibit RNA binding in the nM range, recombinant ElrB, but not ElrA, is able to oligomerise. This oligomerisation is also seen with the endogenous protein. Both RNA binding and oligomerisation require the linker region flanked with two RNA recognition motifs. Our data demonstrate a novel and unique property of ElrB which may be important for its function as a translational regulator.     

蓖麻蚕卵黄原蛋白cDNA的克隆及序列分析

本文论述了蓖麻蚕卵黄原蛋白cDNA迅速克隆化的方法,SDS－PAGE鉴定的蓖麻蚕卵黄原蛋白由大小二个亚基构成,求出的分子量大亚基为180kDa,小亚基为45kDa,从解析的蓖麻蚕卵黄原蛋白氨基酸序列推算的分子量大亚基为161．06kDa,小亚基为40．53kDa,如果考虑到翻译后的修饰,这与SDS－PAGE求出的分子量是吻合的。蓖麻蚕卵黄原蛋白cDNA是由5788pb构成,一个ORF为5337个碱基,编码了1779个氨基酸。在信号肽的15个氨基酸残基中,有12个是硫水性氨基酸残基。这与其他昆虫卵黄原蛋白信号肽区域的硫水性分析是一致的。蓖麻蚕卵黄原蛋白N-linked glycosylation site的分布与家蚕、柞蚕和天蚕不同,3处N-linked glycosylation site存在于大亚基里,2处地多聚丝氨酸区域上流的小亚基里。另外,我们发现在所解析的柞蚕、天蚕的蓖麻蚕卵黄原蛋白氨基酸序列的C－末端区域里DGQR、GICG功能部位及其后的6个半胱氨酸都完好地保存。