Publications by authors named "Timothy C H Low"
Article Synopsis
- - During the development of fruit flies (Drosophila), the Oskar (OSK) RNA binding protein plays a key role in controlling the assembly of germ plasm at the back end of the oocyte (egg cell).
- - The Smaug (SMG) protein enters the germ plasm in early embryos, where it collects in germ granules and inhibits the translation of specific messenger RNAs (mRNAs) that promote germ plasm production.
- - When SMG is absent or its binding sites on target mRNAs are mutated, there's an overproduction of germ plasm and primordial germ cells, indicating that SMG is crucial for regulating germ plasm levels and the number of germ cells formed.
Article Synopsis
- The maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT) shifts developmental control from maternal proteins to those produced by the zygote, with over half of the Drosophila melanogaster genome coding for maternal proteins.
- About 2% of these proteins are quickly degraded during MZT, including key post-transcriptional repressors such as Cup and SMG.
- The degradation is facilitated by specific protein complexes: the CTLH complex targets several repressors early on, while the SCF complex targets SMG later, suggesting a coordinated process essential for proper MZT progression.
