A molecular and phenotypic analysis of traffic jam, a key regulator of gonad morphogenesis

grantor: University of TorontoI show by the molecular analysis of 'traffic jam' (' tj') that it encodes a large Maf transcription factor, a member of a subfamily of basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors. Traffic Jam is the only large Maf transcription factor in 'Drosophila melanogaster ' and appears to be specifically required for gonad morphogenesis. Mutations of 'tj' result in complete sterility in both males and females, and they produce a complex phenotype where the intermingling of somatic cells and germ cells is disrupted, and the spatial arrangement of the different cell types within the larval gonad is disturbed. ' tj' is expressed in somatic cells that associate with the germ cells throughout development and in a subset of somatic cells called swarm cells, which undergo migration during the rearrangement of cell types in the larval ovary. Without TJ function in these specific somatic cells the morphogenesis of the gonad is disrupted leading to tiny malformed gonads and a loss of the germline. Thus, 'tj' is a key regulator of gonad morphogenesis.M.Sc