Studies towards understanding the regulation and function of bällchen in different stem cell systems of Drosophila melanogaster
Year: 2009
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Bällchen (BALL) is a conserved Serine/Threonine kinase of Drosophila melanogaster suggested to participate in stem cell function. Here, I report the pattern of the ball transcripts and the ball protein (BALL). The results show that in the central nervous system (CNS) ball transcripts are enriched in the stem cells, referred to as neuroblasts (Nbs) and germline stem cells (GSCs), respectively. BALL is expressed not only in the stem cells, but also in their differentiating progeny. I identified the cis-acting regulatory region of ball gene, which is both necessary and sufficient to drive the expression of a reporter gene in a ball-like pattern in the CNS. I used the corresponding DNA region to isolate proteins of nuclear extracts of staged embryos which bind to the corresponding DNA in vitro. Using mass spectrometry and rigorous in silico selection criteria, a total of 296 factors were assigned to a putative ball trans-acting factor proteome. I also addressed the function of BALL in the two stem cell populations by asking whether ball activity is required in larval Nbs and adult male GSCs and in which processes BALL is involved. Removal of the BALL activity in male GSCs causes them to leave the stem cell niche and to differentiate. Removal of the BALL activity from Nbs caused the loss of the functional marker protein Miranda and resulted in fewer differentiating cells. The results indicate that ball is essential for the maintenance of the stem cell character in both stem cell systems analyzed.
Author: Yakulov, Toma Antonov
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4213178871