Kinesin-dependent transport results in polarized migration of the nucleus in oocytes and inward movement of yolk granules in meiotic embryos.

ABSTRACT: During female meiosis, meiotic spindles are positioned at the oocyte cortex to allow expulsion of chromosomes into polar bodies. In C. elegans, kinesin-dependent translocation of the entire spindle to the cortex precedes dynein-dependent rotation of one spindle pole toward the cortex. To elucidate the role of kinesin-1 in spindle translocation, we examined the localization of kinesin subunits in meiotic embryos. Surprisingly, kinesin-1 was not associated with the spindle and instead was restricted to the cytoplasm in the middle of the embryo. Yolk granules moved on linear tracks, in a kinesin-dependent manner, away from the cortex, resulting in their concentration in the middle of the embryo where the kinesin was concentrated. These results suggest that cytoplasmic microtubules might be ar

SUBMITTER: McNally KL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2823969 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature