Symmetry breaking in the female germline cyst

In mammals and flies, only one cell in a multicellular female germline cyst becomes an oocyte, but how symmetry is broken to select the oocyte is unknown. Here, we show that the microtubule (MT) minus end-stabilizing protein Patronin/CAMSAP marks the future oocyte and is required for oocyte specific...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2021-11, Vol.374 (6569), p.874-879
Main Authors:	Nashchekin, D, Busby, L, Jakobs, M, Squires, I, St Johnston, D
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Amplification Animals Anisotropy Asymmetry Broken symmetry Cysts Drosophila melanogaster Drosophila Proteins - metabolism Dynein Dyneins - metabolism Female Gametocytes Germ cells Germ Cells - physiology Germ Cells - ultrastructure Microfilament Proteins - metabolism Microtubule-Associated Proteins - metabolism Microtubule-Organizing Center - metabolism Microtubules - metabolism Microtubules - ultrastructure Oocytes - physiology Oocytes - ultrastructure Organelles - metabolism Organelles - ultrastructure Proteins Symmetry
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Summary:	In mammals and flies, only one cell in a multicellular female germline cyst becomes an oocyte, but how symmetry is broken to select the oocyte is unknown. Here, we show that the microtubule (MT) minus end-stabilizing protein Patronin/CAMSAP marks the future 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.
ISSN:	0036-8075 1095-9203