biostudies-literatureAzlan ANational Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesJohns Hopkins University Catalyst AwardNIAID NIH HHSNational Institute of General Medical SciencesNIGMS NIH HHSRP103828https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12263153biostudies-literatureUnknown13During oogenesis, self-renewal and differentiation of germline stem cells (GSCs) must be tightly regulated. The <i>Drosophila</i> female germline serves as an excellent model for studying these regulatory mechanisms. Here, we report that a previously uncharacterized gene <i>CG14545</i>, which we named <i>sakura</i>, is essential for oogenesis and female fertility in <i>Drosophila</i>. Sakura is predominantly expressed in the ovaries, particularly in the germline cells, including GSCs. sakura null mutant female flies display rudimentary ovaries with germline-less and tumorous phenotypes, fail to produce eggs, and are completely sterile. The germline-specific depletion of sakura impairs Dpp/BMP signaling, leading to aberrant <i>bag-of-marbles</i> (<i>bam</i>) expression, resulting in faulty eLifeFemale-germline specific protein Sakura interacts with Otu and is crucial for germline stem cell renewal and differentiation and oogenesis.PMC12263153R03AI178064R03 AI178064R35GM145352R35 GM145352Azlan AZhu LFukunaga RfalseFemale-germline specific protein Sakura interacts with Otu and is crucial for germline stem cell renewal and differentiation and oogenesis.During oogenesis, self-renewal and differentiation of germline stem cells (GSCs) must be tightly regulated. The <i>Drosophila</i> female germline serves as an excellent model for studying these regulatory mechanisms. Here, we report that a previously uncharacterized gene <i>CG14545</i>, which we named <i>sakura</i>, is essential for oogenesis and female fertility in <i>Drosophila</i>. Sakura is predominantly expressed in the ovaries, particularly in the germline cells, including GSCs. sakura null mutant female flies display rudimentary ovaries with germline-less and tumorous phenotypes, fail to produce eggs, and are completely sterile. The germline-specific depletion of sakura impairs Dpp/BMP signaling, leading to aberrant <i>bag-of-marbles</i> (<i>bam</i>) expression, resulting in faulty 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Jul2026-03-31T10:22:22.441Z2025-08-23T03:09:14.187ZS-EPMC122631534066306210.7554/eLife.103828