# WRNexo is not required to maintain normal sex ratios in Drosophila: A CURE-Based Investigation

## 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.

## Key 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.