In vivo mapping of a dynamic ribonucleoprotein granule interactome in early Drosophila embryos

Macromolecular complexes and organelles play crucial roles within cells, but their native architectures are often unknown. Here, we use an evolutionarily conserved germline organelle, the germ granule, as a paradigm. In Drosophila embryos, we map one of its interactomes using a novel in vivo crosslinking approach that employs two interacting granule proteins and determines their common neighbor molecules. We identified an in vivo granule assembly of Tudor, Aubergine, motor and metabolic proteins, and RNA helicases, and provide evidence for direct interactions within this assembly using purified components. Our study indicates that germ granules contain efficient biochemical reactors involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation.