Tail as Old as Time: Germ Cell Development in the Fruit Fly
Tail as Old as Time: Germ Cell Development in the Fruit Fly
Collections: Image Award Winners
2023 Award Winner
Jaclyn Fingerhut, Yukiko Yamashita
MIT Department of Biology, Whitehead Institute
During development, Drosophila germ cells undergo incredible morphological changes to produce some of the longest sperm in the animal kingdom, ~2mm.
In this fly testis, nuclei are marked in white. Germ cells begin their journey as stem cells (at the top). Continued division and maturation push cells away from this origin, eventually yielding mature sperm, shown in cyan. In between, magenta and yellow mark expression of RNAs essential for sperm development.
The Yamashita Lab studies how every stage of germ cell development works together to ensure continued fertility from generation to generation.
Video
Jaclyn Fingerhut presents on her image.