The role of sbr/Dm nxf1 gene in syncytial development in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Syncytial development is a property of early embryogenesis and spermatogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. All elements of syncytium are linked in a common cytoskeletal network, which provides equal conditions and synchronous divisions of each nucleus. The cytoskeleton is necessary for the formation and function of the spindle. Elements of the cytoskeleton form the major structural components of cilia and flagella. The cytoskeleton is important for intraand intercellular transport and morphogenetic processes both within a single cell and at the level of the whole organism. The sbr (small bristles) gene in Drosophila melanogaster belongs to an evolutionarily conserved nxf (nuclear export factor) family. The Dm nxf1 (sbr) gene, as well as its orthologs in other organisms, control export of all poly (A)-containing RNA from the nucleus to cytoplasm. Thus, the NXF1 proteins are usually located within the nucleus or at the nuclear rim. We showed that SBR protein is located not only in the nucleus, but also in to the cytoplasm, and marks characteristic cytoplasmic structures. We identified the cytoplasmic localization of the SBR protein and the disruptions of cytoskeleton in the sbr mutants of D. melanogaster. This may suggest the specialized functions of this protein associated with the dynamics of the cytoskeleton.