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Nuclear Migration in the Drosophila Oocyte

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Published on: May 13, 2021

Active diffusion positions the nucleus in mouse oocytes.

Maria Almonacid¹, Wylie W Ahmed², Matthias Bussonnier²

¹CIRB, Collège de France, and CNRS-UMR7241 and INSERM-U1050, Equipe Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, Paris F-75005, France.

Nature Cell Biology

|March 17, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

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Mouse oocytes position their nuclei without centrosomes. Active diffusion of actin-coated vesicles generates forces that move the nucleus to the cell center, revealing a novel mechanism for organelle positioning.

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Molecular Biology
Biophysics

Background:

Somatic cells utilize centrosomes for cell centroid and nucleus positioning.
Mouse oocytes lack centrosomes but maintain centrally located nuclei.
The mechanism of nucleus positioning in centrosome-absent oocytes remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the mechanism by which mouse oocytes position their nuclei centrally in the absence of centrosomes.
To investigate the role of actin dynamics and intracellular transport in nucleus positioning.

Main Methods:

Live imaging of mouse oocytes.
Genetic manipulation (formin 2 knockout) to induce off-centered nuclei.
Optical trapping techniques.
Computational modeling.

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Author Spotlight: Elucidating the Dynamics of Mechano-Transduction and Nuclear Agitation in Mouse Oocytes

Author Spotlight: Elucidating the Dynamics of Mechano-Transduction and Nuclear Agitation in Mouse Oocytes

Published on: January 12, 2024

Isolation and Characterization of Mouse Antral Oocytes Based on Nucleolar Chromatin Organization

Isolation and Characterization of Mouse Antral Oocytes Based on Nucleolar Chromatin Organization

Published on: January 7, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 16, 2026

Nuclear Migration in the Drosophila Oocyte

Nuclear Migration in the Drosophila Oocyte

Published on: May 13, 2021

Author Spotlight: Elucidating the Dynamics of Mechano-Transduction and Nuclear Agitation in Mouse Oocytes

Author Spotlight: Elucidating the Dynamics of Mechano-Transduction and Nuclear Agitation in Mouse Oocytes

Published on: January 12, 2024

Isolation and Characterization of Mouse Antral Oocytes Based on Nucleolar Chromatin Organization

Isolation and Characterization of Mouse Antral Oocytes Based on Nucleolar Chromatin Organization

Published on: January 7, 2016

Main Results:

Demonstrated an unprecedented mode of nucleus positioning in mouse oocytes.
Identified active diffusion of actin-coated vesicles, propelled by myosin Vb, as the driving force.
Showed that this process generates a pressure gradient and propulsion force sufficient to move the nucleus.
Observed cytoplasmic fluidization contributing to directional nuclear movement.

Conclusions:

Mouse oocytes achieve central nucleus positioning through active diffusion in a centrosome-independent manner.
Active diffusion is capable of moving large organelles like the nucleus, providing in vivo evidence of its biological significance.
This study reveals a novel mechanism for intracellular transport and organelle positioning.