Compartmentalized localization of perinuclear proteins within germ granules in C. elegans

Xiaona Huang; Xuezhu Feng; Yong-Hong Yan; Demin Xu; Ke Wang; Chengming Zhu; Meng-Qiu Dong; Xinya Huang; Shouhong Guang; Xiangyang Chen

doi:10.1016/j.devcel.2024.12.016

Compartmentalized localization of perinuclear proteins within germ granules in C. elegans

Dev Cell. 2024 Dec 26:S1534-5807(24)00738-X. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2024.12.016. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China.
² School of Basic Medical Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.
³ National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China.
⁴ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, The USTC RNA Institute, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Membraneless Organelles & Cellular Dynamics, Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Health Laboratory of Anhui Province, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39742661
DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2024.12.016

Abstract

Germ granules, or nuage, are RNA-rich condensates that are often docked on the cytoplasmic surface of germline nuclei. C. elegans perinuclear germ granules are composed of multiple subcompartments, including P granules, Mutator foci, Z granules, SIMR foci, P -bodies, and E granules. Although many perinuclear proteins have been identified, their precise localization within the subcompartments of the germ granule is still unclear. Here, we systematically labeled perinuclear proteins with fluorescent tags via CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Using this nematode strain library, we identified a series of proteins localized in Z or E granules and extended the characterization of the D granule. Finally, we found that the LOTUS domain protein MIP-1/EGGD-1 regulated the multiphase organization of the germ granule. Overall, our work identified the germ-granule architecture and redefined the compartmental localization of perinuclear proteins. Additionally, the library of genetically modified nematode strains will facilitate research on C. elegans germ granules.

Keywords: C. elegans; D granule; compartmentalization; germ granule; membraneless organelles; perinuclear proteins; phase separation; piRNA; small RNAs.