Investigating the Essential Roles of dPRL-1 in Drosophila melanogaster

Phosphatase of Regenerating Liver (PRL) proteins regulate a number of important cellular processes, including cell growth and division. Humans have three PRL proteins: PRL-1, PRL-2, and PRL-3. An accumulation of evidence has shown that elevated levels of PRLs are strongly correlated with uncontrollable growth and metastasis of tumors. However, contradictory findings have arisen indicating that PRLs instead function to halt cell division thereby preventing uncontrollable tumor growth. In light of these results, the underlying mechanisms regarding how PRLs function within cellular processes remains unclear. To investigate the functions of PRLs, we will create transgenic fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) with knockout of the PRL-1 protein and examine its effects on embryo growth and development. In general, we expect that decreased levels of PRL-1 is important for healthy embryo growth and development. Our goal is to identify where and when PRL-1 is essential in fruit fly embryo development to gain a better understanding of how PRL-1 in humans contribute to human embryo development