A new function of immunity‐related gene Zn72D in male fertility of Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Zn72D encodes the Drosophila zinc finger protein Zn72D. It was first identified to be involved in phagocytosis and indicated to have a role in immunity. Then it was demonstrated to have a function in RNA splicing and dosage compensation in Drosophila melanogaster. In this study, we discovered a new function of Zn72D in male fertility. We showed that knockdown of Zn72D in fly testes caused an extremely low egg hatch rate. Immunofluorescence staining of Zn72D knockdown testes exhibited scattered spermatid nuclei and no actin cones or individualization complexes (ICs) during spermiogenesis, whereas the early-stage germ cells and the spermatocytes were observed clearly. There were no mature sperms in the seminal vesicles of Zn72D knockdown fly testes, although a few sperms could be found close to the seminal vesicle. We further showed that many cytoskeleton-related genes were significantly downregulated in fly testes due to Zn72D knockdown. Taken together these findings suggest that Zn72D may have an important function in spermatogenesis by sustaining the cytoskeletonbased morphogenesis and individualization thus ensuring the proper formation of sperm in D. melanogaster. K E Y W O R D S actin cone, Drosophila melanogaster, spermatid bundle, testis, Zn72D

Identification and functional analysis of CG3526 in spermatogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster

“…All flies were reared on a fresh cornmeal/yeast/brown sugar diet with p ‐hydroxybenzoic acid methylester as a mold inhibitor at 25 °C with a photoperiod of approximately 12 L : 12 D (light : dark) (Biwot et al. , 2019), and 1‐d‐old adult Stat92E F / 06346 flies were shifted to 29 °C until dissection (Brawley & Matunis, 2004).…”

Functional Analysis of Forkhead Transcription Factor Fd59a in Spermatogenesis of <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em>

“…All flies were reared on a fresh cornmeal/yeast/brown sugar diet with p-hydroxybenzoic acid methylester as a mold inhibitor at 25°C with a photoperiod of approximately 12 L : 12 D (light : dark) [21].…”