Developmental Genetic Analysis of Fertilization Pathways

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The development of animals begins with fertilization, the interaction between two specialized cells, the sperm and egg. The process requires exquisite coordination of the activities of the sperm and egg to ensure that normal offspring are produced with each generation. The central aim of this project is to understand the molecular pathways that are essential for the sperm function during the earliest stages of fertilization. The project uses the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, because of the ease in which a large number of genetic mutations can be induced and studied at the genetic, cellular, and molecular levels to identify fertilization molecules. Of particular interest is to understand events that occur at the level of cellular membranes and the role of a membrane bound sperm organelle known as the acrosome. To accomplish this aim, two membrane proteins, which are known to be required for acrosome function, will be characterized. Interacting components will be identified through the analysis of a collection of Drosophila strains carrying male sterile mutations. The broader impacts of this project include its investment in developing research tools, including cytological methods and markers to enable the study of the earliest stages of fertilization. Because the proteins of primary interest are newly discovered, highly conserved among animals, and relevant to developmental disorders in mammals, the findings will contribute to knowledge about cellular processes and membrane events that are currently poorly understood. The project also contributes to the training of graduate students and undergraduates. Undergraduates work as members of a research team with each other, graduate students, and senior scientists as they contribute to the discovery of fertilization mechanisms and molecules.