NIH R01 · 2024
Adaptive Protein Evolution of the Drosophila Germline Stem Cell Gene Bag of Marbles
PROJECT SUMMARY Animals contain a small number of germline stem cells (GSCs) that are essential for making sperm or eggs. The decision for a dividing stem cell to renew itself or to differentiate, and the regulation of early GSC divisions are some of the most critical processes in development. Studies in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, have identified many of the key genes involved in the cellular signaling for GSC maintenance and differentiation. We have shown that the gene bag of marbles (bam), the key “switch” for GSC differentiation, is adaptively evolving with a dramatic excess of amino acid substitutions in D. melanogaster, D. simulans, D. yakuba but not in six other related…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.