How do primordial germ cells yield sperm and eggs?

In sexually-reproducing animals, the transfer of genetic material across generations is imparted through the germline. Primordial germ cells are the foundational germline cells that eventually give rise to egg and sperm and thus are essential to fertility and propagation of species. Given this importance, in most animals primordial germ cells are set aside very early in embryogenesis, well before formation of the testis and ovaries. Therefore, germ cells must migrate through several tissues to populate the somatic gonads in order to yield sperm and eggs. Our lab aims to understand how this epic journey is spatially and temporally coordinated in the dynamic embryo using a diverse combination of molecular, genetic, and imaging methods. Our overarching approach relies first on the classic genetic model organism, Drosophila melanogaster, to identify novel requirements and unravel complex cell-cell interactions and then on the mouse model to identify deeply conserved features of reproductive development.

How do Juvenile Hormones regulate reproductive development?

Juvenile Hormones are small isoprenoid molecules that coordinate developmental timing and growth. Like isoprene-containing Retinoic Acids, Juvenile Hormones have profound impacts on fertility. We aim to understand how exquisite regulation of these small molecules drives reproductive development using a suite of genetic and imaging tools we developed in the Drosophila melangaster model system.