Cytoplasmic localization of the mRNA encoding actin regulator, Serendipity-α, promotes adherens junction assembly and nuclear repositioning

The subcellular localization of mRNAs is conserved from prokaryotes to humans. In Drosophila embryos ∼70% of mRNAs localize to specific sites in the cytoplasm, but the functional significance of this mRNA localization is largely unknown. During the process of embryo cellularization, mRNA encoding Serendipity-α (Sry-α), an actin filament (F-actin) binding protein, moves apically, concentrating near centrosomes. Transport is mediated by the Egl/BicD/Dynein complex and requires two stem loops in the 3’UTR of the mRNA, which serve as localization signals. mRNA localization is dispensable for Sry-α function at cleavage furrows in early cellularization but is necessary for repositioning nuclei in late cellularization. Sry-α protein promotes assembly of cortical F-actin and apical spot adherens junctions (AJs) in late cellularization, and these AJs contribute to nuclear repositioning. We suggest that mRNA localization restricts cytoskeletal functions in late cellularization to regulate nuclear repositioning in preparation for the tissue morphogenesis events that immediately follow.