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First published online 23 April 2008
doi: 10.1242/dev.021949

Development 135, 1897-1902 (2008)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2008
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Research Report

Post-meiotic transcription in Drosophila testes

Carine Barreau, Elizabeth Benson, Elin Gudmannsdottir, Fay Newton and Helen White-Cooper*,{dagger}

Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK.

{dagger} Author for correspondence (e-mail: white-cooperh{at}cf.ac.uk)

Accepted 8 April 2008

SUMMARY

Post-meiotic transcription was accepted to be essentially absent from Drosophila spermatogenesis. We identify 24 Drosophila genes whose mRNAs are most abundant in elongating spermatids. By single-cyst quantitative RT-PCR, we demonstrate post-meiotic transcription of these genes. We conclude that transcription stops in Drosophila late primary spermatocytes, then is reactivated by two pathways for a few loci just before histone-to-transition protein-to-protamine chromatin remodelling in spermiogenesis. These mRNAs localise to a small region at the distal elongating end of the spermatid bundles, thus they represent a new class of sub-cellularly localised mRNAs. Mutants for a post-meiotically transcribed gene (scotti), are male sterile, and show spermatid individualisation defects, indicating a function in late spermiogenesis.

Key words: Drosophila, Spermatid, Transcription, RNA localisation, Spermatid individualisation


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