Maternal Nanos-Dependent RNA Stabilization in the Primordial Germ Cells of Drosophila Embryos.

Nanos (Nos) is an evolutionary conserved protein expressed in the germline of various animal species. In Drosophila, maternal Nos protein is essential for germline development. In the germline progenitors, or the primordial germ cells (PGCs), Nos binds to the 3' UTR of target mRNAs to repress their translation.

Deregulated Cdc6 inhibits DNA replication and suppresses Cdc7-mediated phosphorylation of Mcm2-7 complex.

Mcm2-7 is recruited to eukaryotic origins of DNA replication by origin recognition complex, Cdc6 and Cdt1 thereby licensing the origins. Cdc6 is essential for origin licensing during DNA replication and is readily destabilized from chromatin after Mcm2-7 loading. Here, we show that after origin licensing, deregulation of Cdc6 suppresses DNA replication in Xenopus egg extracts without the involvement of ATM/ATR-dependent checkpoint pathways.

Possible involvement of RecQL4 in the repair of double-strand DNA breaks in Xenopus egg extracts.

Mutations in RecQL4 are a causative factor in Rothmund-Thomson syndrome, a human autosomal recessive disorder characterized by premature aging. To study the role of RecQL4, we employed a cell-free experimental system consisting of Xenopus egg extracts. RecQL4 loading onto chromatin was observed regardless of the presence or absence of EcoRI.

Chromatin loading of Smc5/6 is induced by DNA replication but not by DNA double-strand breaks.

Smc6, a member of the structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) family of proteins, forms a complex with related Smc5. Genetic analyses of yeast have demonstrated the involvement of Smc6 in DNA repair and checkpoint responses. In this study, we investigated the role of the Smc5/6 complex in higher eukaryotes by analyzing its behavior in Xenopus laevis egg extracts.