Project description:In Drosophila, Tudor protein and its germline partners, Piwi proteins, are expressed in the brain. However, the potential significance of Tudor in neurobiology has not been explored. Here, we test a hypothesis that Tudor is an essential regulator of post-transcriptional gene expression in the brain where it controls levels of certain RNAs required for brain functions. Specifically, transcriptome of tudor mutant brains is compared with that of wild-type brains using next-generation sequencing (RNA-Seq). The hypothesis that Tudor regulates the same genes in both brain and germline is tested by comparing the transcriptomes from tudor mutant brains and ovaries. This research aims at providing innovative outcomes which may reveal exciting commonalities between the germline and brain and may contribute to our understanding of neurodegenerative disorders and the mechanisms of learning and memory.
Project description:23-29 nt Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are crucial components of the ribonucleoprotein complexes which silence the most abundant class of mobile genetic elements in human genome, retrotransposons, in germline (germ) cells. In these cells, antisense piRNAs serve as RNA guides for Piwi proteins, base pairing with transposon RNAs which are subsequently cleaved by Piwi proteins. Germ cells belong to special class of stem cells which ultimately give rise to eggs and sperm and therefore, to next generations. Therefore, piRNAs protect next-generation genomes from devastating mutations caused by transposon insertions. Although, role of piRNAs in germ cells has been studied, functions of piRNAs and their associated proteins in somatic cells are not well understood. Importantly, Piwi proteins are expressed in the fruit fly Drosophila brain and are required for the silencing of transposable elements there, clearly indicating that Piwi-associated piRNAs are involved in this process in the brain. Furthermore, piRNAs have been implicated in the memory formation mechanisms in Aplysia brain. In addition to Piwi proteins, their associated partner, molecular scaffold Tudor protein, participates in piRNA biogenesis in germ cells and it is absolutely required for germline development. However, although tudor gene is expressed in the fly brain, its role in the central nervous system is not understood. In this study, we look at the role of Tudor as an essential player in piRNA biogenesis in Drosophila brain.
Project description:H3K27me3 profiles using Cleavage under targets and Release using nuclease (Cut&Run) in control and KD Drosophila melanogaster ovaries. We examined the impact on chromatin profiles in Drosophila melanogaster ovaries in which the lid, the Sin3a, the Snr1 or the mod(mdg4) gene have been selectively knocked down by tissue-specific shRNA expression. We additionally explored H3K27me3 and H3K9me3 in control and dhd mutant ovaries either carrying or not a transgene.
Project description:Comparison of transcript abundance between control (untreated) and methotrexate treated S3 Drosophila cells and ovaries disected from female flies. Keywords: Stress response