The Drosophila CPEB Protein Orb Specifies Oocyte Fate by a 3'UTR-Dependent Autoregulatory Loop.

ABSTRACT: orb encodes one of the two fly CPEB proteins. These widely conserved proteins bind to the 3'UTRs of target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and activate or repress their translation. We show here that a positive autoregulatory loop driven by the orb gene propels the specification of oocyte identity in Drosophila egg chambers. Oocyte fate specification is mediated by a 3'UTR-dependent mechanism that concentrates orb mRNAs and proteins in one of the two pro-oocytes in the 16-cell germline cyst. When the orb 3'UTR is deleted, orb mRNA and protein fail to localize and all 16 cells become nurse cells. In wild type, the oocyte is specified when orb and other gene products concentrate in a single cell in region 2b of the germarium. A partially functional

SUBMITTER: Barr J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6893371 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature