Germ Cell-less Promotes Centrosome Segregation to Induce Germ Cell Formation

• Published in: Cell reports (Cambridge) Vol. 18; no. 4; pp. 831 - 839
• Main Authors: Lerit, Dorothy A., Shebelut, Conrad W., Lawlor, Kristen J., Rusan, Nasser M., Gavis, Elizabeth R., Schedl, Paul, Deshpande, Girish
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 24-01-2017; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; cell fate; centrosome; Centrosome - metabolism; Chromosome Segregation - genetics; Drosophila - growth & development; Drosophila Proteins - genetics; Drosophila Proteins - metabolism; Embryo, Nonmammalian - metabolism; germ cell-less; germ cells; Germ Cells - cytology; Germ Cells - metabolism; germ plasm; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Kinesin - antagonists & inhibitors; Kinesin - genetics; Kinesin - metabolism; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Nuclear Proteins - genetics; Nuclear Proteins - metabolism; RNA Interference; RNA, Small Interfering - metabolism; stem cells; Time-Lapse Imaging; Tubulin - genetics; Tubulin - metabolism; stem cells; germ plasm; germ cell-less; centrosome; germ cells; cell fate
• ISSN: 2211-1247; 2211-1247
• DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.12.074

The primordial germ cells (PGCs) specified during embryogenesis serve as progenitors to the adult germline stem cells. In Drosophila, the proper specification and formation of PGCs require both centrosomes and germ plasm, which contains the germline determinants. Centrosomes are microtubule (MT)-organizing centers that ensure the faithful segregation of germ plasm into PGCs. To date, mechanisms that modulate centrosome behavior to engineer PGC development have remained elusive. Only one germ plasm component, Germ cell-less (Gcl), is known to play a role in PGC formation. Here, we show that Gcl engineers PGC formation by regulating centrosome dynamics. Loss of gcl leads to aberrant centrosome separation and elaboration of the astral MT network, resulting in inefficient germ plasm segregation and aborted PGC cellularization. Importantly, compromising centrosome separation alone is sufficient to mimic the gcl loss-of-function phenotypes. We conclude Gcl functions as a key regulator of centrosome separation required for proper PGC development.
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•Germ cell-less (Gcl) promotes germline fate determinant segregation into germ cells•Gcl mediates efficient centrosome separation dynamics•Centrosome positioning instructs germ cell precocious cellularization
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the totipotent progenitors for the next generation. Lerit et al. show that proper PGC development requires Germ cell-less to instruct the spatial distribution of centrosomes within syncytial Drosophila embryos and ensure the efficient segregation of the germline fate determinants.