Caenorhabditis elegans germ granules are present in distinct configurations and assemble in a hierarchical manner.

ABSTRACT: RNA silencing pathways are complex, highly conserved, and perform crucial regulatory roles. In Caenorhabditis elegans germlines, RNA surveillance occurs through a series of perinuclear germ granule compartments - P granules, Z granules, SIMR foci, and Mutator foci - multiple of which form via phase separation. Although the functions of individual germ granule proteins have been extensively studied, the relationships between germ granule compartments (collectively, 'nuage') are less understood. We find that key germ granule proteins assemble into separate but adjacent condensates, and that boundaries between germ granule compartments re-establish after perturbation. We discover a toroidal P granule morphology, which encircles the other germ granule compartments in a consistent exterior-to-i

SUBMITTER: Uebel CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10753583 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature