Allan C. Spradling

The mouse oocyte Balbiani body reassembles in growing follicles to continue organelle selection and upon dispersal influences nuclear position

The paper shows the mouse Balbiani body reassembles in growing follicles, persists during oocyte growth, and disperses as the nucleus repositions, influencing mitochondrial and organelle quality control.

The Drosophila ovary produces two waves of adult follicles and a novel pupal wave that turns over

The paper identifies three distinct follicle waves in Drosophila ovaries, with wave 1 germ cells contributing to an ecdysone pulse during pupal development.

The Drosophila ovarian terminal filament imports lipophilic molecules that support cyst and follicle development within the ovariole

The paper investigates the role of the Drosophila terminal filament in importing lipophilic molecules essential for germline stem cell maintenance and cyst development.

Early female germline development in Xenopus laevis: stem cells, nurse cells and germline cysts

The paper reconstructs germ cell differentiation in Xenopus laevis using single-cell RNA sequencing and imaging, revealing parallels with invertebrate and mouse cyst development and identifying a germline stem cell population.

Mouse germline cysts contain a fusome that mediates oocyte development

The paper identifies a fusome in mouse germline cysts that mediates oocyte development by establishing polarity and asymmetric distribution of cellular components.

Chromosome-scale scaffolding of the fungus gnat genome (Diptera: Bradysia coprophila)

The paper updates the fungus gnat genome assembly using Hi-C data to produce chromosome-scale scaffolds, improving contig ordering, orientation, and chromosome assignment.

Distinct waves of ovarian follicles contribute to mouse oocyte production

The paper uses scRNA-seq and lineage tracing to study mouse ovarian follicle waves, finding that wave 1 follicles undergo atresia and contribute to steroidogenesis, while wave 1.5 follicles generate most early oocytes.

Chromatin and gene expression changes during female Drosophila germline stem cell development illuminate the biology of highly potent stem cells

The paper examines chromatin and gene expression changes in Drosophila female germline stem cells, revealing mechanisms of self-renewal and differentiation that resemble totipotent zygote development.

Mouse oocytes develop in cysts with the help of nurse cells

The paper identifies nurse cells in mouse oocyte cysts that support oocyte development through cytoplasmic transfer and conserved mechanisms across species.

Drosophila renal stem cells enhance fitness by delayed remodeling of adult Malpighian tubules

This study shows Drosophila renal stem cells remodel adult Malpighian tubules after injury, resulting in a more stone-resistant but less efficient structure.

Single-molecule sequencing of long DNA molecules allows high contiguity de novo genome assembly for the fungus fly, Sciara coprophila

The paper presents the first draft genome of Sciara coprophila using long-read sequencing and assembly methods, enabling high contiguity genome assembly and insights into DNA modifications.

Altered germline cyst and oocyte differentiation in Tex14 mutant mice reveal a new mechanism underlying female reproductive life-span

This study shows that Tex14 mutant mice have altered germline cysts and oocyte differentiation, linking germ cell connectivity to oocyte cytoplasmic enrichment and adult reproductive lifespan.

Differentiating Drosophila female germ cells initiate Polycomb silencing by altering PRC2 sampling

The paper shows that Drosophila female germline stem cells initiate Polycomb silencing during differentiation by altering PRC2 sampling through Pcl and Scm interactions.

Escort-like somatic cells mediate early mouse fetal ovarian development but surface-derived Lgr5+ cells support primordial follicles

The paper identifies two distinct somatic cell populations in mouse fetal ovaries that support different follicle development stages through single-cell RNA sequencing.

FMRP activates the translation of large autism/intellectual disability proteins and stimulates N-end rule E3 ligase Poe/UBR4 production within puromycin-sensitive RNP particles

This study shows FMRP activates translation of large proteins and promotes Poe/UBR4 production in RNP particles, which regulate cell growth and MAPK signaling in the nervous system.

An abundant quiescent stem cell population in Drosophila Malpighian tubules protects principal cells from kidney stones

The paper identifies quiescent stem cells in Drosophila Malpighian tubules that repair damage from kidney stones by replacing lost principal cells.

Prolonged ovarian storage of mature Drosophila oocytes dramatically increases meiotic spindle instability

This study shows prolonged storage of Drosophila oocytes leads to meiotic spindle instability, similar to human oocyte issues, and identifies Hsp26 and Hsp27 as key factors in age-related decline.

An efficient CRISPR-based strategy to insert small and large fragments of DNA using short homology arms

The paper introduces three simplified CRISPR-based methods for DNA insertion in Drosophila, using short homology arms and ssDNA/dsDNA donors to generate transgenic constructs efficiently.

Dietary lipids modulate Notch signaling and influence adult intestinal development and metabolism in Drosophila

This study shows dietary lipids modulate Notch signaling in Drosophila midgut, affecting enteroendocrine cell differentiation and metabolism, with lasting effects on tissue structure and physiology.

Fragile X mental retardation protein is a size-dependent translational activator

The paper identifies FMR1 as a translational activator of large proteins in Drosophila oocytes and neurons, linking its function to neural defects and ovarian failure.

Efficient expression of genes in the Drosophila germline using a UAS-promoter free of interference by Hsp70 piRNAs

The paper identifies Hsp70 piRNAs as the cause of poor gene expression in Drosophila germline cells using UASt promoters and introduces a modified promoter, UASz, that avoids this interference.