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Patronin/Shot Cortical Foci Assemble the Noncentrosomal Microtubule Array that Specifies the Drosophila Anterior-Posterior Axis.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Fernandes, Artur Ribeiro 
St Johnston, Daniel  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5582-3301

Abstract

Noncentrosomal microtubules play an important role in polarizing differentiated cells, but little is known about how these microtubules are organized. Here we identify the spectraplakin, Short stop (Shot), as the cortical anchor for noncentrosomal microtubule organizing centers (ncMTOCs) in the Drosophila oocyte. Shot interacts with the cortex through its actin-binding domain and recruits the microtubule minus-end-binding protein, Patronin, to form cortical ncMTOCs. Shot/Patronin foci do not co-localize with γ-tubulin, suggesting that they do not nucleate new microtubules. Instead, they capture and stabilize existing microtubule minus ends, which then template new microtubule growth. Shot/Patronin foci are excluded from the oocyte posterior by the Par-1 polarity kinase to generate the polarized microtubule network that localizes axis determinants. Both proteins also accumulate apically in epithelial cells, where they are required for the formation of apical-basal microtubule arrays. Thus, Shot/Patronin ncMTOCs may provide a general mechanism for organizing noncentrosomal microtubules in differentiated cells.

Description

Keywords

Animals, Cytoskeletal Proteins, Drosophila Proteins, Drosophila melanogaster, Female, Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3, Microfilament Proteins, Microtubule-Associated Proteins, Microtubules, Oocytes, Tubulin

Journal Title

Dev Cell

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1534-5807
1878-1551

Volume Title

38

Publisher

Elsevier BV
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (092096/Z/10/Z)
Wellcome Trust (080007/Z/06/Z)
Cancer Research Uk (None)
This work was supported by a Wellcome Trust PRF to D. St J. (080007), and by core support from the Wellcome Trust (092096) and Cancer Research UK (A14492). D. N. was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Swedish Research Council. A.R.F. is funded by a University of Cambridge PhD studentship.