Shaggy/GSK-3β kinase localizes to the centrosome and to specialized cytoskeletal structures inDrosophila

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Abstract
The assembly of a functional bipolar mitotic spindle requires an exquisite regulation of microtubule behavior in time and space. To characterize new elements of this machinery we carried out a GFP based “protein trap” screen and selected fusion proteins which localized to the spindle apparatus. By this method we identified Shaggy, the Drosophila homologue of glycogen synthase kinase‐3β (GSK‐3β), as a component of centrosomes. GSK‐3β acting in the Wingless signaling pathway is involved in a vast range of developmental processes, from pattern formation to cell‐fate specification, and is a key factor for cell proliferation in most animals. We exploited our Shaggy::GFP Drosophila line to analyze the subcellular localizations of GSK‐3β/Shaggy and shed light on its multiple roles during embryogenesis. We found that Shaggy becomes enriched transiently in a variety of specialized cytoskeletal structures of the embryo, including centrosomes throughout mitosis, suggesting that this kinase is involved in the regulation of many aspects of the cytoskeleton function. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 2006.