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Rna Recognition By The Caenorhabditis Elegans Oocyte Maturation Determinant Oma-1, Ebru Kaymak, Sean Ryder
Rna Recognition By The Caenorhabditis Elegans Oocyte Maturation Determinant Oma-1, Ebru Kaymak, Sean Ryder
Sean P. Ryder
Maternally supplied mRNAs encode proteins that pattern early embryos in many species. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a suite of RNA-binding proteins regulates expression of maternal mRNAs during oogenesis, the oocyte to embryo transition, and early embryogenesis. To understand how these RNA-binding proteins contribute to development, it is necessary to determine how they select specific mRNA targets for regulation. OMA-1 and OMA-2 are redundant proteins required for oocyte maturation--an essential part of meiosis that prepares oocytes for fertilization. Both proteins have CCCH type tandem zinc finger RNA-binding domains. Here, we define the RNA binding specificity of OMA-1 and demonstrate that …
Rna Target Specificity Of The Embryonic Cell Fate Determinant Pos-1, Brian Farley, John Pagano, Sean Ryder
Rna Target Specificity Of The Embryonic Cell Fate Determinant Pos-1, Brian Farley, John Pagano, Sean Ryder
Sean P. Ryder
Specification of Caenorhabditis elegans body axes and cell fates occurs prior to the activation of zygotic transcription. Several CCCH-type tandem zinc finger (TZF) proteins coordinate local activation of quiescent maternal mRNAs after fertilization, leading to asymmetric expression of factors required for patterning. The primary determinant of posterior fate is the TZF protein POS-1. Mutants of pos-1 are maternal effect lethal with a terminal phenotype that includes excess pharyngeal tissue and no endoderm or germline. Here, we delineate the consensus POS-1 recognition element (PRE) required for specific recognition of its target mRNAs. The PRE is necessary but not sufficient to pattern …