Symmetry breaking in the female germline cyst
Dmitry Nashchekin, Lara Busby, Maximilian AH Jakobs, Iolo Squires, Daniel St Johnston
Abstract
oocyte and is required for oocyte specification. The spectraplakin Shot recruits Patronin to the fusome, a branched structure extending into all cyst cells. Patronin stabilizes more MTs in the cell with the most fusome material. Our data suggest that this weak asymmetry is amplified by Dynein-dependent transport of Patronin-stabilized MTs. This forms a polarized MT network, along which Dynein transports oocyte determinants into the presumptive oocyte. Thus, Patronin amplifies a weak fusome anisotropy to break symmetry and select one cell to become the oocyte.
Topics & Concepts
OocyteGermlineBiologyCell biologyDyneinMulticellular organismMicrotubuleGeneticsCellEmbryoGeneMicrotubule and mitosis dynamicsReproductive Biology and FertilityPlant Reproductive Biology