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研究発表を行った学会；
・第１２回日本ショウジョウバエ研究会
　　2016年9月9日〜11日（東京）

タイトル；An oogenenic stage-specific RNAi screening for novel maternal-effect genes regulating germ cell development in the Drosophila embryo.
発表者；相見　圭亮　氏
　　　（熊本大学　発生医学研究所　生殖発生分野）
要旨；
Germ cells in the Drosophila embryo are derived from pole cells, which are formed by the action of maternal factors localized in the germ plasm. To date, numerous genes involved in pole cell formation have been isolated. Most of these genes act in the assembly and maintenance of the germ plasm, however, only a few genes are known to play an instructive role in pole cell development. Therefore, it is proposed that additional maternal factors that direct pole cell formation may exist. These yet-to-be identified factors presumably play essential roles in early oogenesis occurred in the germarium, such as germline stem cell maintenance and oocyte determination, and eggs lacking their function cannot be produced. Thus, they were escaped from identification by traditional genetic screenings.
To identify new maternal factors involved in pole cell development, we designed an RNAi screen by which target genes were knocked down from mid oogenesis without affecting their functions during early stages in germaria. We used a GAL4 driver that promotes reporter activation from mid-oogenesis onward to express short hairpin RNAs (shRNA) along with mKO-tagged Vasa, a marker for the germ plasm and pole cells. We screened ~1800 shRNA lines and isolated aubergine and spire, which are required for germ plasm formation, indicating that our screening strategy can extract desired genes. We also isolate several groups of genes from the primary screen. These include mTOR pathway, cytoskeletal control, chromatin regulation and translational control. We will continue screening to exceed 2000 shRNA lines, and will present our updated information with this screen. Further detail analysis will reveal new mechanisms of pole cell formation.