Michael B. O’Connor

This study shows that RNA-binding is essential for Brat function in Drosophila development by generating and testing RNA-binding defective mutant alleles.

This study investigates the role of Trus, the Drosophila ortholog of PDCD2L, in development and finds it is essential for cell proliferation, developmental timing, and oogenesis.

This study uses GFP-tagged Drosophila TGF-β receptor isoforms to analyze their expression and function in CNS development, revealing distinct roles of BaboA in postembryonic neurogenesis and CNS remodeling.

This study shows that Actβ signaling from motor neurons to muscle regulates glycogen levels and mtDNA expression in Drosophila by controlling nuclear-encoded factors required for mtDNA replication, transcription, and translation.

This study shows that different isoforms of the Babo receptor regulate proliferation and conversion of neural stem cells in Drosophila larval brain development, with BaboA playing a major role.

This study shows that knocking down Atg1 or Atg18 in adult fly adipocytes impairs lipophagy and reduces lifespan, but not in muscle or glia.

The paper identifies two additional receptor tyrosine kinase signals, Alk and PvR, that regulate metamorphic timing and body size in Drosophila by modulating ecdysone biosynthesis and autophagy.

This paper demonstrates a method to create engineered genetic incompatibilities in Drosophila melanogaster that can be tuned to cause hybrid lethality and are compatible with other engineered strains.

The paper identifies Myoglianin as a muscle-derived factor in Drosophila that regulates wing size through dSmad2 signaling.

This study shows Drosophila Activin signaling promotes muscle growth by enhancing InR/dTORC1 pathway and MHC levels, with distinct effects on muscle geometry depending on signal balance.

This study identifies Activinβ as a positive regulator of muscle mass in Drosophila, showing it is delivered by motoneurons and affects tissue scaling during development.