Tandem affinity purification (TAP) (Pugi ., 2001; Rigaut ., 1999) is a method that uses a tagging approach of a target protein of interest for a two-step purification scheme in order to pull down protein complexes under native conditions and expression levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLoss of FMR1 gene function results in fragile X syndrome, the most common heritable form of intellectual disability. The protein encoded by this locus (FMRP) is an RNA-binding protein that is thought to primarily act as a translational regulator; however, recent studies have implicated FMRP in other mechanisms of gene regulation. We found that the Drosophila fragile X homolog (dFMR1) biochemically interacted with the adenosine-to-inosine RNA-editing enzyme dADAR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFragile X Syndrome is caused by the silencing of the Fragile X Mental Retardation gene (FMR1). Regulating dosage of FMR1 levels is critical for proper development and function of the nervous system and germ line, but the pathways responsible for maintaining normal expression levels are less clearly defined. Loss of Drosophila Fragile X protein (dFMR1) causes several behavioral and developmental defects in the fly, many of which are analogous to those seen in Fragile X patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe succession of developmental events in the C. elegans larva is governed by the heterochronic genes. When mutated, these genes cause either precocious or retarded developmental phenotypes, in which stage-specific patterns of cell division and differentiation are either skipped or reiterated, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe investigated the control of proliferation and differentiation in the larval Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite germ line through analysis of glp-1 and lag-2 mutants, cell ablations, and ultrastructural data. After the first several rounds of germ cell division, GLP-1, a receptor of the LIN-12/Notch family, governs germline proliferation. We analyzed the proximal proliferation (Pro) phenotype in glp-1(ar202) and found that initial meiosis was delayed and spatially mispositioned.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFglp-1 encodes a member of the highly conserved LIN-12/Notch family of receptors that mediates the mitosis/meiosis decision in the C. elegans germline. We have characterized three mutations that represent a new genetic and phenotypic class of glp-1 mutants, glp-1(Pro).
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