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Orientation of microtubules suggests a role in mRNA transportation in fertilized eggs of Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis)

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Summary.

Polysomes become associated with microtubules (MTs) in egg cells of Chinese pine upon fertilization, providing direct evidence for MT-based intracellular mRNA and polysome localization. We have investigated by immunoelectron microscopy the orientation and spatial distribution of MTs and their association with polysomes in the fertilized egg cells. There is a perinuclear accumulation of MTs and polysomes in the zygote soon after fertilization. At this time, some of the MTs are perpendicular to the nuclear envelope and directly connected to the outer membrane or nuclear-pore complexes (NPC) at one end, and the other ends reach to the outer tier or cortical MTs that are parallel to the long axis of the zygote. The polysomes in the perinuclear region show the same spatial and temporal pattern as the MTs. Immunolocalization of the mRNA-binding protein hnRNP indicates that the mRNAs are loaded onto the nucleus-associated MTs immediately after their export from the nuclear-pore complexes. The polysomes and mRNAs are then transported from these MTs to the outer tier and/or cortical MTs, where they further localize to the polar region of the cell.

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Abbreviations

hnRNP:

heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein

MF:

microfilament

MT:

microtubule

NPC:

nuclear-pore complex

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Biological Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing

    Fengli Guo, Lifeng Yu & Yuzhen Han

  2. Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

    Fengli Guo & Simon Watkins

Authors
  1. Fengli Guo
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  2. Lifeng Yu
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  3. Simon Watkins
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  4. Yuzhen Han
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fengli Guo.

Additional information

Correspondence (present address): Fengli Guo, Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th Street, Kansas City, MO 64110, U.S.A.

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Guo, F., Yu, L., Watkins, S. et al. Orientation of microtubules suggests a role in mRNA transportation in fertilized eggs of Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis). Protoplasma 231, 239–243 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-007-0266-7

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