High impact information on nanos

• A zebrafish nanos-related gene is essential for the development of primordial germ cells [1].
• Nanos expression is required during germline development and is posttranscriptionally restricted to PGCs . Here we report that the microRNA miR-430 targets the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of nanos1 during zebrafish embryogenesis [2].
• A miR-430 target site within the nanos1 3' UTR reduces poly(A) tail length, mRNA stability, and translation [2].
• Using the promoter of the novel gene askopos and RNA elements of nanos1 to drive GFP expression in PGCs, we found that immediately after their specification (about 3 hpf) PGCs exhibit simple cell shape [3].
• The maternal RNAs vasa, dead end, nanos1, and daz-like all become localized to the peripheral ends of the first and second cleavage furrows, where they form part of the zebrafish germ plasm [4].

Biological context of nanos

• Here we report that the germ plasm RNAs vasa, nanos1, and dazl co-localize with the mitochondrial cloud (MC) and are transported to the vegetal cortex during early oogenesis [5].

Anatomical context of nanos

• In this study, to determine whether this role of the nos 1 3'UTR is conserved between teleost species, we injected artificially synthesized mRNA, combining green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the zebrafish nos 1 3'UTR (GFP-nos 1 3'UTR mRNA), into the fertilized eggs of various fish species [6].

Other interactions of nanos

• We show that aggregates of a first class of germ plasm components, which include dead end, nanos1, and vasa RNAs, are initially present in a wide cortical band at the animal pole [4].
• The germ plasm includes maternal mRNAs from the germline-specific genes such as vasa and nanos1, and vegetally localized dazl RNA is also incorporated into the germ plasm [5].

References