Comparative transcriptional analysis uncovers molecular processes in early and mature somatic cyst cells of Drosophila testes.

The tight interaction between somatic and germline cells is conserved in animal spermatogenesis. The testes of Drosophila melanogaster are the model of choice to identify processes responsible for mature gamete production. However, processes of differentiation and soma-germline interactions occurring in somatic cyst cells are currently understudied.

piRNA-mediated gene regulation and adaptation to sex-specific transposon expression in male germline.

Small noncoding piRNAs act as sequence-specific guides to repress complementary targets in Metazoa. Prior studies in ovaries have demonstrated the function of the piRNA pathway in transposon silencing and therefore genome defense. However, the ability of the piRNA program to respond to different transposon landscapes and the role of piRNAs in regulating host gene expression remain poorly understood.

The RNA Helicase Belle (DDX3) Non-Autonomously Suppresses Germline Tumorigenesis Via Regulation of a Specific mRNA Set.

DDX3 subfamily DEAD-box RNA helicases are essential developmental regulators of RNA metabolism in eukaryotes. , the single ortholog in is required for fly viability, fertility, and germline stem cell maintenance. Belle is involved both in translational activation and repression of target mRNAs in different tissues; however, direct targets of Belle in the testes are essentially unknown.

piRNA silencing contributes to interspecies hybrid sterility and reproductive isolation in Drosophila melanogaster.

The piRNA pathway is an adaptive mechanism that maintains genome stability by repression of selfish genomic elements. In the male germline of Drosophila melanogaster repression of Stellate genes by piRNAs generated from Supressor of Stellate (Su(Ste)) locus is required for male fertility, but both Su(Ste) piRNAs and their targets are absent in other Drosophila species. We found that D.

Progress in understanding the molecular functions of DDX3Y (DBY) in male germ cell development and maintenance.

Human DDX3 paralogs are housed on the X chromosome (DDX3X) as well as in the non- recombining region Yq11 of the Y-chromosome (DDX3Y or DBY). A gene encoding RNA helicase DDX3Y is located in the AZoospermia Factor a (AZFa) region of the Y-chromosome and expressed only in male germ cells. Deletions encompassing the DDX3Y gene lead to azoospermia and cause Sertoli Cell-Only Syndrome (SCOS) in humans.