Male gametes are the most morphologically diverse cells in the animal kingdom, ranging from very simple cells to sperm with missing or multiple flagella and conjugated sperm that form cooperative units. To understand how this diversity evolved, it is necessary to investigate gamete morphology from an evolutionary developmental perspective, an approach widely applied to questions of embryonic development in whole organisms but that has never been applied to cellular morphogenesis. The proposed research will exploit the uniquely long spermatozoa in fruit flies of the genus Drosophila (up to 5.8 cm) to further investigate previously identified candidate genes for sperm length. Drosophila also present an especially elegant system due to their experimental and genetic tractability. These genes will be validated as potentially important in spermatogenesis, and their molecular evolution across the Drosophila lineage will be investigated. The research will also explore how these genes function during spermatogenesis using in vitro culture methods that allow cell development to be observed and manipulated in the controlled environment of a culture dish.

The proposed research will greatly inform the scientific community's understanding of how gamete diversity has evolved at the developmental, molecular and cellular levels. Sperm are functionally important evolutionarily (affecting reproductive fitness and speciation), as well as biomedically and economically (informing fertility and in vitro fertilization practices in humans and domestic animals). Studies of the genetics of sperm form may also improve our understanding of general flagellar and ciliary development, including ciliopathies involved in human disease (e.g., cystic fibrosis, polycystic kidney disease).

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Environmental Biology (DEB)
Application #
1257859
Program Officer
Samuel Scheiner
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2013-09-01
Budget End
2019-08-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$620,995
Indirect Cost
Name
George Washington University
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Washington
State
DC
Country
United States
Zip Code
20052