Document Type

Honors Thesis

Abstract

Transposable elements (TEs) are selfish DNA segments capable of self-replication and reinsertion within genomes, often harming hosts. Rarely, host genomes can adopt TEs and use their proteins for new cellular functions through molecular domestication. One example primarily expressed in Drosophila melanogaster ovaries is DPLG3. Previous Betrán Lab students generated DPLG3 loss-of-function flies and found that their ovaries misregulated one primordial and 14 testis-specific genes, leading to variable ovarian malformations. However, it is unclear when during oogenesis these misexpressions occur. We will extract RNA from non-rudimentary ovaries at early and late stages to generate cDNA for qRT-PCR analysis of three misregulated genes using the comparative CT method. This will clarify if mutations occur in early or late oogenesis.

Additionally, we are conducting a long-term simulated natural selection experiment to compare DPLG3 and DPLG3 loss-of-function allele fitness. We follow a biweekly dump-and-cross model, creating new generations every two weeks and collecting data every five generations. This will test whether DPLG3 exhibits similar importance in nature as it does in the laboratory, as well as its fitness effects. Preliminary data follows a dominant model, reinforcing the importance of DPLG3 in overall fitness.

Disciplines

Biology | Evolution | Genetics and Genomics | Life Sciences

Publication Date

Fall 12-18-2025

Language

English

Faculty Mentor of Honors Project

Esther Betran

Comments

Thank you to Ph.D. student Pilar Castellanos for her guidance throughout this project. This project was supported with funding from NSF

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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