657B Poster - 10. Cell biology: Cytoskeleton, organelles and trafficking
Friday April 08, 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Authors:
Hannah Bailey; Margot Quinlan

Affiliation: University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Keywords:
a. cytoskeleton; b. cell polarity

The process of egg development, oogenesis, is highly conserved and crucial for producing offspring. Drosophila melanogaster have long served as a model system to understand aspects of egg development including stem cell and germ cell development, meiosis, cell migration, intercellular signaling and mRNA localization. An essential component of oogenesis in Drosophila is the presence of a cytoplasmic actin meshwork that persists during mid-oogenesis. This complex actin network is built by the collaboration of actin nucleators, Spire and Cappuccino (Spir and Capu). The composition, organization, stabilization, and removal of the mesh remains unknown. This is, in part, due to the requirement for actin binding proteins in early oogenesis and our inability to visualize removal of the actin mesh because egg chambers expire ex vivo just prior to this transition. To overcome these obstacles, I am developing methods to directly observe this meshwork and study the underlying regulatory mechanisms of the mid to late oogenesis transition. Specifically, I am developing methods for long-term in vivo imaging of oogenesis in Drosophila melanogaster. In principle, this approach will make possible study of mesh removal. Studying the roles of Spir and Capu has also been challenging due to differences in endogenous temporal control and the tools available, including the commonly used drivers of the bipartite GAL4/UAS system. I am developing improved drivers for the GAL4/UAS system to better match endogenous expression timing, allowing for careful characterization of these actin nucleators in vivo. Lastly, using the Auxin Inducible Degradation (AID) system, I am testing candidates to identify mesh components and regulators. Altogether, my work will lead to a greater understanding of dynamic actin rearrangements during development and facilitate detailed characterization of the actin mesh that can translate to studies in other organisms.