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Background: Ion-transport mechanisms and gap junctions are known to cooperate in creating bioelectric phenomena, like pH gradients, voltage gradients and ion fluxes within single cells, tissues, organs, and whole organisms. Such phenomena have been shown to play regulatory roles in a variety of developmental and regenerative processes. Using Drosophila oogenesis as a model system, we aim at characterizing in detail the mechanisms underlying bioelectric phenomena in order to reveal their regulatory functions. We, therefore, investigated the stage-specific distribution patterns of V-ATPase components in relation to gap-junction proteins., Results: We analysed the localization of the V-ATPase components ductin (subunit c) and subunit a, and the gap-junction components innexins 2 and 3, especially in polar cells, border cells, stalk cells and centripetally migrating cells. These types of follicle cells had previously been shown to exhibit characteristic patterns of membrane channels as well as membrane potential and intracellular pH. Stage-specifically, ductin and subunit a were found either colocalized or separately enriched in different regions of soma and germ-line cells. While ductin was often more prominent in plasma membranes, subunit a was more prominent in cytoplasmic and nuclear vesicles. Particularly, ductin was enriched in polar cells, stalk cells, and nurse-cell membranes, whereas subunit a was enriched in the cytoplasm of border cells, columnar follicle cells and germ-line cells. Comparably, ductin and both innexins 2 and 3 were either colocalized or separately enriched in different cellular regions. While ductin often showed a continuous membrane distribution, the distribution of both innexins was mostly punctate. Particularly, ductin was enriched in polar cells and stalk cells, whereas innexin 2 was enriched in the oolemma, and innexin 3 in centripetally migrating follicle cells. In lateral follicle-cell membranes, the three proteins were found colocalized as well as separately concentrated in presumed gap-junction plaques., Conclusions: Our results support the notion of a large variety of gap junctions existing in the Drosophila ovary. Moreover, since ductin is the channel-forming part of a proton pump and, like the innexins, is able to form junctional as well as non-junctional membrane channels, a plethora of cellular functions could be realized by using these proteins. The distribution and activity patterns of such membrane channels are expected to contribute to developmentally important bioelectric signals.

Background: Bioelectric phenomena have been found to exert influence on various developmental and regenerative processes. Little is known about their possible functions and the cellular mechanisms by which they might act during Drosophila oogenesis. In developing follicles, characteristic extracellular current patterns and membrane-potential changes in oocyte and nurse cells have been observed that partly depend on the exchange of protons, potassium ions and sodium ions. These bioelectric properties have been supposed to be related to various processes during oogenesis, e. g. pH-regulation, osmoregulation, cell communication, cell migration, cell proliferation, cell death, vitellogenesis and follicle growth. Analysing in detail the spatial distribution and activity of the relevant ion-transport mechanisms is expected to elucidate the roles that bioelectric phenomena play during oogenesis., Results: To obtain an overview of bioelectric patterning along the longitudinal and transversal axes of the developing follicle, the spatial distributions of membrane potentials (Vmem), intracellular pH (pHi) and various membrane-channel proteins were studied systematically using fluorescent indicators, fluorescent inhibitors and antisera. During mid-vitellogenic stages 9 to 10B, characteristic, stage-specific Vmem-patterns in the follicle-cell epithelium as well as anteroposterior pHi-gradients in follicle cells and nurse cells were observed. Corresponding distribution patterns of proton pumps (V-ATPases), voltage-dependent L-type Ca(2+)-channels, amiloride-sensitive Na(+)-channels and Na(+),H(+)-exchangers (NHE) and gap-junction proteins (innexin 3) were detected. In particular, six morphologically distinguishable follicle-cell types are characterized on the bioelectric level by differences concerning Vmem and pHi as well as specific compositions of ion channels and carriers. Striking similarities between Vmem-patterns and activity patterns of voltage-dependent Ca(2+)-channels were found, suggesting a mechanism for transducing bioelectric signals into cellular responses. Moreover, gradients of electrical potential and pH were observed within single cells., Conclusions: Our data suggest that spatial patterning of Vmem, pHi and specific membrane-channel proteins results in bioelectric signals that are supposed to play important roles during oogenesis, e. g. by influencing spatial coordinates, regulating migration processes or modifying the cytoskeletal organization. Characteristic stage-specific changes of bioelectric activity in specialized cell types are correlated with various developmental processes.

During mid-oogenesis of Drosophila, cytoplasmic particles are transported within the nurse cells and through ring canals (cytoplasmic bridges) into the oocyte by means of a microfilament-dependent mechanism. Video-intensified fluorescence timelapse microscopy, in combination with microinjections of antibodies directed against Drosophila 95F myosin, have revealed that this unconventional myosin of class VI is involved in the transport processes. The results indicate that certain cytoplasmic particles in the nurse cells move along microfilaments due to their direct association with myosin VI motors. Additional myosin-VI molecules located at the rim of the ring canals seem to be involved in particle transport into the oocyte. Microinjected mitochondria-specific dyes have revealed that some of these particles are mitochondria.

In Drosophila oogenesis, several morphogenetic determinants and other developmental factors synthesized in the nurse cells have been shown to accumulate in the oocyte during pre- to mid-vitellogenic stages. However, the mechanisms of the involved intercellular transport processes that seem to be rather selective have not been revealed so far. We have investigated in vitro, by means of video-enhanced contrast time-lapse microscopy, the transport of cytoplasmic particles from the nurse cells through ring canals into the oocyte during oogenesis stages 6-10A. At stage 7, we first observed single particles moving into the previtellogenic oocyte. The particle transfer was strictly unidirectional and seemed to be selective, since only some individual particles moved whereas other particles lying in the vicinity of the ring canals were not transported. The observed transport processes were inhibitable with 2,4-dinitrophenol, cytochalasin B or N-ethylmaleimide, but not with microtubule inhibitors. At the beginning of vitellogenesis (stage 8), the selective translocation of particles through the ring canals became faster (up to 130 nm/second) and more frequent (about 1 particle/minute), whereas during mid-vitellogenesis (stages 9-10A) the velocity and the frequency of particle transport decreased again. Following their more or less rectilinear passage through the ring canals, the particles joined a circular stream of cytoplasmic particles in the oocyte. This ooplasmic particle streaming started at stage 6/7 with velocities of about 80 nm/second and some reversals of direction at the beginning. The particle stream in the oocyte was sensitive to colchicine and vinblastine, but not to cytochalasin B, and we presume that it reflects the rearrangement of ooplasmic microtubules described recently by other authors. We propose that during stages 7-10A, a selective transport of particles into the oocyte occurs through the ring canal along a polarized scaffold of cytoskeletal elements in which microfilaments are involved. This transport might be driven by a myosin-like motor molecule. Either attached to, or organized into, such larger particles or organelles, specific mRNAs and proteins might become selectively transported into the oocyte.