Project description:Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) mediate transport across the nuclear envelope. In yeast, they have also been proposed to interact with active genes, attracting or retaining them at the nuclear periphery. However, some NPC components (nucleoporins) in higher eukaryotes are also found in the nucleoplasm, with so far unknown function. Therefore, we have functionally distinguished between nucleoporin-chromatin interactions at the NPC and within the nucleoplasm in Drosophila. For this we analyzed genomic interactions of full-length nucleoporins Nup98, Nup50 and Nup62 and nucleoplasmic and NPC-tethered forms of Nup98. We found that nucleoporins predominantly interacted with transcriptionally active genes inside the nucleoplasm. A smaller set of non-active genes interacted with the NPC. We identified a direct role for nucleoplasmic Nup98 in stimulating gene expression, as genes downregulated upon Nup98 depletion were activated upon nucleoplasmic Nup98 overexpression and showed strong nucleoplasmic Nup98 interaction. Thus, nucleoporins stimulate gene expression away from the NPC by interacting with genes inside the nucleoplasm.
Project description:Nucleus is a highly structured organelle and contains many functional compartments. While the structural basis for this complex spatial organization of compartments is unknown, a major component of this organization is likely to be the non-chromatin scaffolding called nuclear matrix (NuMat). Experimental evidence over the past decades indicates that most of the nuclear functions are at least transiently associated with the NuMat although the components of NuMat itself are poorly known. Here, we report NuMat proteome analysis from Drosophila melanogaster embryos and discuss its links with nuclear architecture and functions. In the NuMat proteome, we find structural proteins, chaperones related, DNA/RNA binding, chromatin remodeling and transcription factors. This complexity of NuMat proteome is an indicator of its structural and functional significance. Comparison of the 2D profile of NuMat proteome from different developmental stages of Drosophila embryos shows that less than half of the NuMat proteome is constant and rest of the proteins are stage specific dynamic components. This NuMat dynamics suggests a possible functional link between NuMat and the embryonic development. Finally, we also show that a subset of NuMat proteins remain associated with the mitotic chromosomes implicating their role in mitosis and possibly the epigenetic cellular memory. NuMat proteome analysis provides tools and opens up ways to understand nuclear organization and function.
Project description:<p>Viral studies of Drosophila melanogaster typically involve virus injection with a small needle, causing post-injury a wounding/wound healing response, in addition to the effects of viral infection. However, the metabolic response to the needle injury is understudied, and many viral investigations neglect potential effects of this response. Furthermore, the wMel strain of the endosymbiont bacterium Wolbachia pipientis provides anti-viral protection in Drosophila. Here we used NMR-based metabolomics to characterise the acute wounding response in Drosophila and the relationship between wound healing and the Wolbachia strain wMel. The most notable response to wounding was found on the initial day of injury and lessened with time in both uninfected and Wolbachia infected flies. Metabolic changes in injured flies revealed evidence of inflammation, Warburg-like metabolism and the melanisation immune response as a response to wounding. In addition, at five days post injury Wolbachia infected injured flies were metabolically more similar to the uninjured flies than uninfected injured flies were at the same time point, indicating a positive interaction between Wolbachia infection and wound healing. This study is the first metabolomic characterisation of the wound response in Drosophila and its findings are crucial to the metabolic interpretation of viral experiments in Drosophila in both past and future studies.</p>