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A small sequence in domain v of the mitochondrial large ribosomal RNA restores Drosophila melanogaster pole cell determination in uv-irradiated embryos

Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters volume 15, pages 365–376 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

The mechanism by which the mitochondrial large rRNA is involved in the restoration of the pole cell-forming ability in Drosophila embryos is still unknown. We identified a 15-ribonucleotide sequence which is conserved from the protobacterium Wolbachia to the higher eukaryotes in domain V of the mitochondrial large rRNA. This short sequence is sufficient to restore pole cell determination in UV-irradiated Drosophila embryos. Here, we provide evidence that the conserved 15-base sequence is sufficient to restore luciferase activity in vitro. Moreover, we show that the internal GAGA sequence is involved in protein binding and that mutations in this tetranucleotide affect the sequence’s ability to restore luciferase activity. The obtained results lead us to propose that mtlrRNA may be involved either in damaged protein reactivation or in protein biosynthesis during pole cell determination.

Abbreviations

mtlrRNA:

mitochondrial large ribosome RNA

mtlsRNA:

mitochondrial small ribosome RNA

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Author notes

  1. Rossana Psaila

    Present address: Istituto di Neurobiologia e Medicina Molecolare CNR, Roma, Italy

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Biologia Cellulare e Neuroscienze, Istituto Superiore di Sanità Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161, Roma, Italy

    Rossana Psaila, Marta Ponzi & Piero Augusto Battaglia

  2. Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Cellulari ed Ematologia, Universita degliStudi di Roma “Sapienza”, Viale Regina Elena 324, 00161, Roma, Italy

    Donatella Ponti & Franca Gigliani

  3. Dipartimento di Patologia Molecolare, Universita’ degli Studi di Roma “Sapienza”, Corso della Repubblica 79, 04100, Latina, Italy

    Donatella Ponti

Authors
  1. Rossana Psaila
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  2. Donatella Ponti
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  5. Piero Augusto Battaglia
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Correspondence to Donatella Ponti.

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Psaila, R., Ponti, D., Ponzi, M. et al. A small sequence in domain v of the mitochondrial large ribosomal RNA restores Drosophila melanogaster pole cell determination in uv-irradiated embryos. Cell Mol Biol Lett 15, 365–376 (2010). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11658-010-0013-5

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Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters

ISSN: 1689-1392

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