Document Type
Honors Thesis
Production/Collection Location
Texas
Abstract
A big fraction of most eukaryotic genomes is comprised of transposable elements (TEs). TEs are mobile genetic sequences often causing deleterious effects as they increase in copy number. On rare occasions, TEs can undergo molecular domestication, where the TE proteins are co-opted by the host to serve cellular functions. In Drosophila melanogaster, domestication from PIF/Harbinger TEs has resulted in five Drosophila PIF-Like Genes (DPLG1-4 and 8). This study focuses on investigating the function of DPLG3. In DPLG3 knock out lines, DPLG3-KO, a fraction of the progeny shows an abnormal gonad phenotype. We sought to confirm our observations by obtaining a secondary line, DPLG3-deficiency, as an alternative model. We conducted several assessments of the DPLG3-deficiency line to verify its reliability. Additionally, we sought to learn more about the abnormal gonad phenotype. To investigate this, we fluorescently stained rudimentary gonads to observe and compare the cellular morphology to normal gonads. Preliminary data supports that the absence of DPLG3 leads to ectopic male-specific gene expression in early oogenesis. We hypothesize that DPLG3 might be functioning as a regulatory protein involved in repressing testes-specific genes during oogenesis, which can explain why the absence of DPLG3 leads to a rudimentary gonad phenotype. This was investigated using qRT-PCR to confirm and determine the exact time point at which mis-expression occurs. This work helps elucidate the role of DPLG3 in the D. melanogaster genome and gives insight into the reasons for TE protein domestication.
Disciplines
Evolution | Genetics and Genomics | Life Sciences
Publication Date
5-2025
Language
English
Faculty Mentor of Honors Project
Esther Betran
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Martinez, Kaisy A., "Elucidating the Role of Transposable Element Derived Gene, DPLG3, in Drosophila melanogaster" (2025). 2025 Spring Honors Capstone Projects. 35.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/honors_spring2025/35