Drosophila patterning is established by differential association of mRNAs with P bodies

Patterning of Drosophila embryos involves the localization of RNAs to specific places in the oocytes before fertilization. Although both gurken (grk) and bicoid (bcd) mRNA localize to the dorsoanterior of the oocyte, only grk mRNA is translated at this stage. Davis and colleagues find that grk mRNA co-localizes with proteins involved in translation at the periphery of P bodies whereas bcd is enriched into their central region—which the authors show is devoid of ribosomes—where it is translationally repressed.