Home Department: Human Biology
Mentor: Margaret Fuller (Developmental Biology)

“Exploring Changes in Protein Expression Due to Alternative 3’ End Cleavage in Adult Stem Cell Lineage”

In the Drosophila male germline, changes in gene expression drive the differentiation of spermatogonial cells to spermatocyte cells. During this differentiation, alternative 3’ end cleavage produces mRNA isoforms that can lead to differences in protein expression and localization. Of the genes that shift the 3’ UTR cleavage site, the majority shift from long 3’ UTR in spermatogonia to short 3’ UTR in spermatocytes. Manipulation of components PCF11 and CBC in the cleavage machinery produces a long 3’ UTR in spermatocytes. Using immunofluorescence, Iliana will assay how the expression and localization of proteins are affected in PCF11 and CBC KD Drosophila germlines.