Wf. Rothwell et al., The Drosophila centrosomal protein Nuf is required for recruiting Dah, a membrane associated protein, to furrows in the early embryo, J CELL SCI, 112(17), 1999, pp. 2885-2893
During mitosis of the Drosophila cortical syncytial divisions, actin-based
membrane furrows separate adjacent spindles. Our genetic analysis indicates
that the centrosomal protein Nuf is specifically required for recruitment
of components to the furrows and the membrane-associated protein Dah is pri
marily required for the inward imagination of the furrow membrane. Recruitm
ent of actin, anillin and peanut to the furrows occurs normally in dah-deri
ved embryos. However, subsequent imagination of the furrows fails in dah-de
rived embryos and the septins become dispersed throughout the cytoplasm, Th
is indicates that stable septin localization requires Dah-mediated furrow i
nvagination. Close examination of actin and Dah localization in wild-type e
mbryos reveals that they associate in adjacent particles during interphase
and co-localize in the invaginating furrows during prophase and metaphase.
We show that the Nuf centrosomal protein is required for recruiting the mem
brane-associated protein Dah to the furrows, In nuf-mutant embryos, much of
the Dah does not reach the furrows and remains in a punctate distribution.
This suggests that Dah is recruited to the furrows in vesicles and that th
e recruiting step is disrupted in nuf mutants. These studies lead to a mode
l in which the centrosomes play an important role in the transport of membr
ane-associated proteins and other components to the developing furrows.