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Review
. 2024 Oct 30;52(5):2087-2099.
doi: 10.1042/BST20231293.

The mRNA dynamics underpinning translational control mechanisms of Drosophila melanogaster oogenesis

Livia V Bayer #  1 , Samantha N Milano #  1   2 , Diana P Bratu  1   2
Affiliations
Review

The mRNA dynamics underpinning translational control mechanisms of Drosophila melanogaster oogenesis

Livia V Bayer et al. Biochem Soc Trans. .

Abstract

Advances in the study of mRNAs have yielded major new insights into post-transcriptional control of gene expression. Focus on the spatial regulation of mRNAs in highly polarized cells has demonstrated that mRNAs translocate through cells as mRNA:protein granules (mRNPs). These complex self-assemblies containing nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins are fundamental to the coordinated translation throughout cellular development. Initial studies on translational control necessitated fixed tissue, but the last 30 years have sparked innovative live-cell studies in several cell types to deliver a far more nuanced picture of how mRNA-protein dynamics exert translational control. In this review, we weave together the events that underpin mRNA processes and showcase the pivotal studies that revealed how a multitude of protein factors engage with a transcript. We highlight a mRNA's ability to act as a 'super scaffold' to facilitate molecular condensate formation and further moderate translational control. We focus on the Drosophila melanogaster germline due to the extensive post-transcriptional regulation occurring during early oogenesis. The complexity of the spatio-temporal expression of maternal transcripts in egg chambers allows for the exploration of a wide range of mechanisms that are crucial to the life cycle of mRNAs.

Keywords: Drosophila oogenesis; oskar; P bodies; condensates; mRNA translational control; post transcriptional gene expression regulation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no competing interests associated with the manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Schematic of Drosophila melanogaster egg chamber development and mRNA life cycle.
(A) Ovariole chain of developing egg chambers depicting the pattern of localization in the oocyte of three key transcripts (oskar, gurken and bicoid) throughout oogenesis. Yellow represents the presence of all three mRNAs. (B) mRNA life cycle within a nurse cell. Created with BioRender.com.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.. Nuclear processing and export of osk mRNA.
Created with BioRender.com.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.. Hypothetical model of cytoplasmic osk mRNP.
A simplified translationally repressed osk mRNP is represented, where a subset of protein factors (not encompassing all of the literature) are recruited to different regions of the transcript, along with several factors binding in trans. 5′- and 3′- UTRs are depicted in red, and the coding region in black. Created with BioRender.com.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.. Schematic of P-body condensate and the mRNA processes it supports.
Darker regions indicate the ‘core’ and lighter regions indicate the external ‘shell’. Created with BioRender.com.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.. The microtubule network and mRNP transport throughout oogenesis.
Created with BioRender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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