Romancino DP., Dalmazio S., Cervello M., Montana G., Virruso L., Bonura A., Gambino R. and Di Carlo M. Localization and association to cytoskeleton of COLL1a mRNA in Paracentrotus lividus egg requires cis- and trans-acting factors

COLL1a mRNA is asymmetrically distributed in the Paracentrotus lividus egg. Here we examine the involvement of the cytoskeleton in the localization process of collagen mRNA. The use of drugs such as colchicine and cytochalasin B reveals a perturbation of localization collagen mRNA. Moreover, the presence of speci®c cis-and trans-acting factors involved in cytoskeleton binding and the localization process was investigated. By Northwestern experiment we found that the 3' UTR of COLL1a mRNA is also able to bind two proteins of 54 and 40 kDa in a cellular fraction containing the cytoskeleton. Finally, we found that the protein of 54 kDa is LP54, a protein that binds the 3' UTRs of P. lividus maternal bep messengers and is necessary for their localization.