Leif Benner

A mdg4 Retrotransposon Screen for X-linked Female Sterile Alleles and its Relationship with the Transcription Factor OVO

The paper screens for X-linked female sterile alleles using mdg4 retrotransposon insertions and finds that while mdg4 preferentially inserts near OVO binding sites, only a subset of sterile alleles result from this mechanism.

Programmed meiotic errors facilitate dichotomous sperm production in the silkworm, Bombyx mori

This study identifies molecular differences in meiosis between eupyrene and apyrene sperm production in silkworms, showing that Sxl facilitates error-prone meiosis for apyrene sperm.

Female germline expression of OVO transcription factor bridges Drosophila generations

The paper investigates OVO's role in Drosophila female germline development, showing its continuous expression across generations and essential function in germ cell viability.

Diverse somatic Transformer and sex chromosome karyotype pathways regulate gene expression in Drosophila gonad development

The paper investigates how somatic Transformer and sex chromosome karyotype pathways regulate gene expression during Drosophila gonad development, showing their combined and exclusive effects on germ cell development.

Muskelin acts as a substrate receptor of the highly regulated Drosophila CTLH E3 ligase during the maternal-to-zygotic transition

The paper identifies Muskelin as a substrate adaptor for the Drosophila CTLH E3 ligase, showing how it regulates the degradation of RNA-binding proteins during the maternal-to-zygotic transition.

OVO Positively Regulates Essential Maternal Pathways by Binding Near the Transcriptional Start Sites in the Drosophila Female Germline

The paper identifies OVO as a master transcriptional regulator in Drosophila female germline development by showing it binds near TSSs of essential maternal genes and regulates their expression.

Tudor domain containing protein 5-like (Tdrd5l) identifies a novel germline body and regulates maternal RNAs during oogenesis

This study identifies Tdrd5l as a regulator of maternal RNA translation during oogenesis, showing its role in suppressing translational activators like Orb and maintaining proper dorsal-ventral patterning.

Drosophila small ovary encodes a zinc-finger repressor required for ovarian differentiation

This study identifies the small ovary (sov) gene in Drosophila, which encodes a zinc-finger protein required for ovarian differentiation by repressing cell signaling and transposons.