Differential distributions of two adducin-like protein isoforms in theDrosophilaovary and early embryo

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Abstract
Summary: Adducin is a cytoskeletal protein that can functionin vitroto bundle F-actin and to control the assembly of the F-actin/spectrin cytoskeletal network. TheDrosophila Adducin-like(Add) locus (also referred to ashu-li tai shao(hts)) encodes a family of proteins of which several are homologous to mammalian adducin (Dinget al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA90, 2512–16, 1993; Yue & Spradling,Genes Dev.6, 2443–54, 1992). We report the identification of two novel adducin isoforms: a 95 × 103Mrform (ADD-95) and an 87 × 103Mrform (ADD-87). We present a detailed analysis of the distribution patterns of ADD-95 and ADD-87 during oogenesis and embryogenesis. The isoforms are co-expressed in several cell- and tissuetypes; however, only ADD-87 is present in mid- to late-stage oocytes. ADD-87 is present throughout the oocyte cortex at stages 9 and 10 of oogenesis but is detectable only at the anterior pole from stage 11 onward, correlated with localisation ofAdd-htsmRNA first to the cortex and then to the anterior pole of the oocyte. ADD-87 co-localises with F-actin and spectrin in the cortex of the oocyte through stage 10 of oogenesis, consistent with a possible role in cytoskeletal assembly or function predicted by mammalian studies.