Published online
doi:10.1083/jcb.200802128
The Journal of Cell Biology, Vol. 182, No. 3, 559-572
The Rockefeller University Press, 0021-9525 $30.00
© Noble et al.
Maternal mRNAs are regulated by diverse P body–related mRNP granules during early Caenorhabditis elegans development
Scott L. Noble1,
Brittany L. Allen2,
Lai Kuan Goh2,
Kristen Nordick1, and
Thomas C. Evans1,2,3
1 Program in Molecular Biology, 2 Program in Cell Biology, Stem Cells, and Development, and 3 Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Denver Health Sciences Center, Aurora, CO 80045
Correspondence to Thomas C. Evans: tom.evans{at}uchsc.edu
Processing bodies (P bodies) are conserved mRNA–protein (mRNP) granules that are thought to be cytoplasmic centers for mRNA repression and degradation. However, their specific functions in vivo remain poorly understood. We find that repressed maternal mRNAs and their regulators localize to P body–like mRNP granules in the Caenorhabditis elegans germ line. Surprisingly, several distinct types of regulated granules form during oocyte and embryo development. 3' untranslated region elements direct mRNA targeting to one of these granule classes. The P body factor CAR-1/Rap55 promotes association of repressed mRNA with granules and contributes to repression of Notch/glp-1 mRNA. However, CAR-1 controls Notch/glp-1 only during late oogenesis, where it functions with the RNA-binding regulators PUF-5, PUF-6, and PUF-7. The P body protein CGH-1/Rck/Dhh1 differs from CAR-1 in control of granule morphology and promotes mRNP stability in arrested oocytes. Therefore, a system of diverse and regulated RNP granules elicits stage-specific functions that ensure proper mRNA control during early development.
Abbreviations used in this paper: βgal, β galactosidase; dcP bodies, DCAP-2–enriched granules related to P bodies; grP bodies, germ line RNP granules related to P bodies; IF, immunofluorescence; mRNP, messenger RNA–protein; ORF, open reading frame; P bodies, processing bodies; SCR, spatial control region; TCR, temporal control region; UTR, untranslated region.
© 2008 Noble et al. This article is distributed under the terms of an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike–No Mirror Sites license for the first six months after the publication date (see http://www.jcb.org/misc/terms.shtml). After six months it is available under a Creative Commons License (Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported license, as described at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/).

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