Disease relevance of pes

• Although it is not expressed in differentiated astrocytes in vivo, the pescadillo protein is dramatically elevated in malignant human astrocytomas [1].

High impact information on pes

• The pescadillo (pes) gene is predicted to encode a protein of 582 amino acids with no recognizable functional motifs, which is highly conserved from yeast to humans. pes mRNA is expressed widely and dynamically during the first 3 days of embryogenesis [2].
• Pescadillo protein localizes to distinct substructures of the interphase nucleus including nucleoli, the site of ribosome biogenesis [3].
• We propose that in mammalian cells pescadillo is essential for ribosome biogenesis and nucleologenesis and that disruption to its function results in cell cycle arrest [3].
• We report that levels of the pescadillo protein increase in rodent hepatocytes as they enter the cell cycle [3].
• Mutation of the zebrafish pescadillo gene blocks expansion of a number of tissues in the developing embryo, suggesting roles for its gene product in controlling cell proliferation [3].

Biological context of pes

• Beginning at day 3 of embryogenesis, pes mutant embryos exhibit small eyes, a reduced brain and visceral skeleton, shortened fins, and a lack of expansion of the liver and gut, and then die on the sixth day of development [2].
• During mitosis pescadillo closely associates with the periphery of metaphase chromosomes and by late anaphase is associated with nucleolus-derived foci and prenucleolar bodies [3].
• Pescadillo displayed a distinct spatial and temporal pattern of gene expression during brain development, being detected in neural progenitor cells and postmitotic neurons [1].
• Yeast strains harboring temperature-sensitive mutations in the pescadillo gene were arrested in either G(1) or G(2) when grown in nonpermissive conditions, demonstrating that pescadillo is an essential gene in yeast and is required for cell cycle progression [1].

Anatomical context of pes

• Blastomeres in mouse embryos lacking pescadillo arrest at morula stages of development, the nucleoli fail to differentiate and accumulation of ribosomes is inhibited [3].

References