Intraflagellar Transport is not Required in Drosophila to

Differentiate Sperm

Young-Goo Han, Benjamin H. Kwok, Maurice J. Kernan

1.

Han, Y., Kwok, B., & Kernan, M. (2003). Intraflagellar Transport Is Required in Drosophila to Differentiate Sensory Cilia but Not Sperm. Current Biology, 13(19), 1679-1686. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2003.08.034

Introduction• Intraflagellar transport (IFT) is required for the

growth of cilia and flagella in eukaryotes.• During IFT, IFT particles are moved up axonemal

microtubules via kinesin II (for elongation) and down microtubules via cytoplasmic dynein.

• These particles are composed of IFT protein complex A and complex B.

• nompB encodes the Drosophila homolog of the IFT complex B protein, IFT88.

• nompB is crucial for the growth of cilia and flagella in the species.

Hypothesis

Drosophila with mutant nompB will have missing or defective cilia and flagella. In turn their mechanosensory and olfactory neurons, along with their sperm and any other ciliated organs will be defective.

Methods• nompB was mapped relative to P element insertions in

l(2)03832 by P-induced male recombination• Single fly inverse polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to

isolate genomic DNA flanking distal breakpoints of deletion Df(2L)03832MR1

• Bristle mechanoreceptor currents were recorded with a saline-filled glass electrode using a piezoelectric stage with a holding potential of 40 mV after stimulus was applied

• Green fluorescent protein (GFP) was inserted at the translation start site of the nompB recue construct to make a

functional GFP-nompB fusion• nompB alleles were recombined onto chromosomes with FRT

to induce germline clones using heat shock-inducible flipases (hsFLP)

Results

Conclusion

• IFT is required to assemble sensory organs in Drosophila.

• The assembly and function of sperm flagellum in Drosophila are independent of nompB and IFT.