WRNexo is not required to maintain normal sex ratios in Drosophila: A CURE-Based Investigation
Elyse Bolterstein, Shubhangee Mungre, Kara Nuss, Eric P. Stoffregen
TL;DR
This study finds that WRNexo in fruit flies does not affect sex ratios, unlike another protein called Blm.
Contribution
The study shows WRNexo is not essential for maintaining normal sex ratios in Drosophila, unlike Blm.
Findings
Chi-square analyses showed no sex-bias in WRNexoΔ offspring.
WRNexo may not be essential for replication of highly repetitive DNA sequences.
CUREs effectively engage students in hypothesis-driven research.
Abstract
WRNexo and Blm , Drosophila orthologs of human WRN and BLM RecQ helicases, play crucial roles in DNA replication and repair. Using a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in an introductory Biology course, we investigated whether WRNexo Δ mutants exhibit a progeny sex-bias similar to Blm mutants. Chi-square analyses revealed no deviation from expected Mendelian ratios or sex-bias among WRNexo Δ offspring. These findings suggest that WRNexo does not affect sex-specific survival and may not be essential for replication of highly repetitive DNA sequences. Our study demonstrates that CUREs effectively engage students in hypothesis-driven research while contributing meaningfully to genomic stability studies.
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Taxonomy
TopicsInsect symbiosis and bacterial influences · Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities · Insect-Plant Interactions and Control