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K-State Today

October 26, 2017

Division of Biology and ADVANCE Distinguished Lecture Series seminar Oct. 27

Submitted by Tawny Ochs, Division of Biology

Lynn Cooley, professor of cell biology and molecular, cellular and developmental biology at Yale University, will present "Germ cells sure can talk: gamete development in syncytia" co-sponsored as part of the Division of Biology and  ADVANCE Distinguished Lecture Series at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, in 221 Ackert Hall.

The lecture will be based on the formation of gametes from germline cells set aside early in embryogenesis is of fundamental importance to animal biology. Similarities between germ cell and stem cell biology that make the study of gametogenesis even more broadly interesting. Cooley's lab uses a powerful combination of genetics, microscopy, proteomics and biochemistry for investigating cellular mechanisms regulating egg and sperm development, using the fruit fly Drosophila as a model system.

A common feature from insects to humans of developing animal gametes is the presence of intercellular bridges called ring canals that allow cytoplasm to move between cells. During Drosophila egg development, ring canals are essential for oocyte patterning and growth. A major focus of the lab is to understand how female ring canals are made and maintained. Cooley will report on their progress in elucidating mechanisms for regulating the actin cytoskeleton of ring canals, which involves tight regulation of F-actin recruitment by a Cullin3 RING ubiquitin ligase. The role of cytoplasm sharing through ring canals in males is less well understood. Cooley's lab is developing live imaging approaches to study the extent of intercellular movement during Drosophila spermatogenesis. She will present data showing diffusion of proteins between live spermatocytes, spermatogonial and elongating spermatids for the first time.  

If you would like to visit with Cooley, contact Jocelyn McDonald at jmcdona@k-state.edu. Cooley's visit is co-sponsored by the Division of Biology and the K-State Office for the Advancement of Women in Science and Engineering, or KAWSE, through the ADVANCE Distinguished Lecture Series.