Harris, A.N. and Macdonald, P.M. (2001)
aubergine encodes a Drosophila polar granule component required for pole cell formation and related to eIF2C.
Development 128, 2823-2832.
Abstract
In Drosophila oocytes, activation of Oskar translation from a transcript localized to the posterior pole is an essential step in the organization of the pole plasm, specialized cytoplasm which contains germline and abdominal body patterning determinants. Oskar is a component of polar granules, large particles associated with the pole plasm and the germline precursor pole cells of the embryo. aubergine mutants fail to efficiently translate oskar mRNA and are thus defective in posterior body patterning and pole cell formation. We report that Aubergine protein is related to eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2C, suggesting how it may activate translation. In addition, we find that Aubergine is recruited to the posterior pole in a vas-dependent manner and is itself a polar granule component. Consistent with its presence in these structures, Aubergine is required for pole cell formation independently of its initial role in oskar translation. Unlike two other known polar granule components, Vasa and Oskar, Aubergine remains cytoplasmic after pole cell formation, suggesting that the roles of these proteins diverge during embryogenesis.