Article
Biology
Ananya Chakravarti, Heshani N. Thirimanne, Savanna Brown, Brian R. Calvi
Summary: Using Drosophila as a model, this study found that p53 isoforms in fruit flies have functions specific to DNA damage and cell types, similar to mammalian p53 family members in the genotoxic stress response and oocyte quality control.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Swagota D. Roy, Sabarish Nagarajan, Md Shah Jalal, Md Abul Basar, Atanu Duttaroy
Summary: Energy metabolism in vertebrates is regulated by the PGC-1 family, which interact with nuclear receptors and transcription factors. Spargel protein found in insects and ascidians is believed to be the ancestral form of vertebrate PGC-1's. In this study, gene analysis in Drosophila revealed that Spargel is essential for embryogenesis and female fertility, as well as involved in intracellular transport of Notch proteins. These new mutant alleles of Spargel provide valuable tools for studying its biological functions in both flies and mammals.
G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
D. Nashchekin, L. Busby, M. Jakobs, I Squires, D. St Johnston
Summary: By recruiting Patronin to the fusome and stabilizing more MTs, a polarized MT network is formed, along which Dynein transports oocyte determinants into the presumptive oocyte, breaking symmetry and selecting the oocyte.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Katharina Jans, Kai Luersen, Jakob von Frieling, Thomas Roeder, Gerald Rimbach
Summary: A study found that dietary lithium can significantly improve fruit fly egg production by regulating the mRNA levels of genes related to follicular maturation. This is the first report of dietary lithium acting as a stimulant for fecundity in fruit flies.
Article
Cell Biology
Marcia Garcez, Joana Branco-Santos, Patricia C. Gracio, Catarina C. F. Homem
Summary: This study characterized the role of mitochondria morphology in female germ stem cells, showing that undifferentiated GSCs predominantly have fissed mitochondria, while more differentiated cells have more fused mitochondria. The findings emphasize the essential requirement of mitochondrial dynamics for maintaining a stable GSC pool.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Caitlin E. McDonough-Goldstein, Scott Pitnick, Steve Dorus
Summary: The study found significant differences in protein composition of mature oocytes between mated and unmated female fruit flies, indicating a strong influence of mating on oocyte composition. Proteomic changes in mated female oocytes may have implications for offspring fitness, suggesting the importance of oocyte protein composition in maternal-to-zygotic transition and early embryogenesis.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biology
Elise Houssin, Mathieu Pinot, Karen Bellec, Roland Le Borgne
Summary: The study reveals a unique apico-basal polarity of the Delta-Notch signalling interface in the Drosophila sensory organ lineage, utilizing nano-clusters as snap buttons for efficient intra-lineage signalling.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Manuel Rueda, Roberto Ariosa, Mauricio Moldes, Jordi Rambla
Summary: Beacon v2 is an API specification that defines a standard for federated discovery of genomic and phenotypic data. B2RI is a set of open-source software tools that allow quick setup of a local Beacon instance.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laura Rodriguez-Munoz, Claudia Lagaresa, Sergio Gonzalez-Crespo, Pau Castel, Alexey Veraksa, Gerardo Jimenez
Summary: Cic-L acts as a sensor of RTK signaling in somatic cells and regulates postmitotic growth in germline cells. Its function mainly depends on the unique N-terminal module, which can act independently of the HMG-box core.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Xiaoxi Wang, Kimberly S. LaFever, Indrayani Waghmare, Andrea Page-McCaw
Summary: Recent studies have investigated the long-range signaling of Wnt proteins and their role as morphogens. Research on Drosophila wing disc and ovary suggests that Wg protein spreads from source cells to neighboring cells, promoting stem cell proliferation.
Article
Biology
Stefanny Villalobos-Cantor, Ruth M. Barrett, Alec F. Condon, Alicia Arreola-Bustos, Kelsie M. Rodriguez, Michael S. Cohen, Ian Martin
Summary: Controlled protein synthesis is crucial for regulating gene expression in a cell type-specific manner. We developed a new method to specifically label and visualize newly-synthesized proteins in targeted cell populations in the fly brain, allowing for quantitative analysis of protein synthesis states in vivo.
Article
Cell Biology
Maria Giovanna Riparbelli, Veronica Persico, Giuliano Callaini
Summary: The dynamics of centrioles in the early stages of Drosophila oogenesis show notable variations in structure and distribution, with duplication events occurring frequently without DNA replication. A particularly long centriole, inherited after asymmetric division of germline stem cells, serves as a marker for oocyte identification and persists throughout oocyte selection and development.
Article
Cell Biology
Tai-Ting Lee, Po-Lin Chen, Matthew P. Su, Jian-Chiuan Li, Yi-Wen Chang, Rei-Wen Liu, Hsueh-Fen Juan, Jinn-Moon Yang, Shih-Peng Chan, Yu-Chen Tsai, Sophia von Stockum, Elena Ziviani, Azusa Kamikouchi, Horng-Dar Wang, Chun-Hong Chen
Summary: By using the Drosophila melanogaster model, researchers discovered that the mitochondrial outer membrane protein Fis1 plays a crucial role in muscle dysfunction and several age-related conditions, with mutations leading to damaged mitochondria, increased oxidative stress, and decreased muscle function. Mutations in Fis1 also affect mitochondrial proteostasis in fly muscle, reducing flight capabilities and lifespan, indicating the significance of Fis1 in fly mitochondrial dynamics.
Article
Developmental Biology
Rodrigo Dutra Nunes, Daniela Drummond-Barbosa
Summary: A high-sugar diet causes rapid obesity and reduced fertility in female Drosophila, affecting specific processes in oogenesis. However, obesity alone does not impair fertility.
Article
Developmental Biology
Samantha A. Russell, Kaitlin M. Laws, Greg J. Bashaw
Summary: The Netrin receptor Frazzled/Dcc plays important roles in diverse tissue contexts, including regulating cell migration, axon guidance, and cell survival. In the Drosophila female germline, Fra is crucial for the progression of egg chambers through mid-oogenesis, independently of Netrin, by inhibiting apoptosis to regulate germline survival.