C. elegans Nucleostemin Is Required for Larval Growth and Germline Stem Cell Division

The nucleolus has shown to be integral for many processes related to cell growth and proliferation. Stem cells in particular are likely to depend upon nucleolus-based processes to remain in a proliferative state. A highly conserved nucleolar factor named nucleostemin is proposed to be a critical link between nucleolar function and stem-cell–specific processes. Currently, it is unclear whether nucleostemin modulates proliferation by affecting ribosome biogenesis or by another nucleolus-based activity that is specific to stem cells and/or highly proliferating cells. Here, we investigate nucleostemin (nst-1) in the nematode C. elegans, which enables us to examine nst-1 function during both proliferation and differentiation in vivo. Like mammalian nucleostemin, the NST-1 protein is localized to the nucleolus and the nucleoplasm; however, its expression is found in both differentiated and proliferating cells. Global loss of C. elegans nucleostemin (nst-1) leads to a larval arrest phenotype due to a growth defect in the soma, while loss of nst-1 specifically in the germ line causes germline stem cells to undergo a cell cycle arrest. nst-1 mutants exhibit reduced levels of rRNAs, suggesting defects in ribosome biogenesis. However, NST-1 is generally not present in regions of the nucleolus where rRNA transcription and processing occurs, so this reduction is likely secondary to a different defect in ribosome biogenesis. Transgenic studies indicate that NST-1 requires its N-terminal domain for stable expression and both its G1 GTPase and intermediate domains for proper germ line function. Our data support a role for C. elegans nucleostemin in cell growth and proliferation by promoting ribosome biogenesis

Nucleologenesis in the Caenorhabditis elegans Embryo

In the Caenorhabditis elegans nematode, the oocyte nucleolus disappears prior to fertilization. We have now investigated the re-formation of the nucleolus in the early embryo of this model organism by immunostaining for fibrillarin and DAO-5, a putative NOLC1/Nopp140 homolog involved in ribosome assembly. We find that labeled nucleoli first appear in somatic cells at around the 8-cell stage, at a time when transcription of the embryonic genome begins. Quantitative analysis of radial positioning showed the nucleolus to be localized at the nuclear periphery in a majority of early embryonic nuclei. At the ultrastructural level, the embryonic nucleolus appears to be composed of a relatively homogenous core surrounded by a crescent-shaped granular structure. Prior to embryonic genome activation, fibrillarin and DAO-5 staining is seen in numerous small nucleoplasmic foci. This staining pattern persists in the germline up to the ∼100-cell stage, until the P4 germ cell divides to give rise to the Z2/Z3 primordial germ cells and embryonic transcription is activated in this lineage. In the ncl-1 mutant, which is characterized by increased transcription of rDNA, DAO-5-labeled nucleoli are already present at the 2-cell stage. Our results suggest a link between the activation of transcription and the initial formation of nucleoli in the C. elegans embryo