C. elegans P granule localization MBL Physiology Course Summer 2019
P granules change localization throughout the C. elegans life cycle Typically associated with nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), dissociate in oocyte, then polarize and eventually reassociate in the primordial germ cells of the embryo Act as ‘mRNA surveillance’ to store rna as it comes out of the NPCs and then release it later to be translated in the cytoplasm No evidence they sequester damaged transcripts Seydoux, J. Mol. Biol. (2018)
What mechanism mediates polarization of P granules to the germ cell? Courtesy of Cliff Brangwynne
Intro to tracking
Intro to tracking
Flow is not responsible for P granule localization Brangwynne et al., Science (2009)
P granules in the anterior dissolve while those in the posterior condense Brangwynne et al., Science (2009)
Condensation-dissolution model of P granule localization Brangwynne et al., Science (2009)
What induces the symmetry breaking? Smith et al., eLife (2016) Seydoux, J. Mol. Biol. (2018)