Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2022-2023)

The goal of my research program is to gain an understanding of molecular networks that drive cell differentiation and behaviour and define the shape and structure of tissues. The Traffic jam (Tj) protein is a key regulator of these processes in Drosophila gonads, which we use as a model system. Tj is a close relative of the large Maf transcription factors in mammals that have multiple roles in cell differentiation and cancer. In Drosophila gonads, where germ cells develop under the guidance of adjacent somatic cells, Tj functions in the somatic cells controlling their differentiation program and ability to properly interact with each other and with the germ cells. Here, I propose to focus on two Tj-dependent processes to further elucidate its function in regulating the morphogenetic behaviour of cells. (i) The stem cells in the gonads from which egg and sperm originate are sustained by a somatic niche. We discovered that Tj is essential for the formation of this niche. Here, we propose to identify and analyze the factors that control the development and spatial arrangement of the different somatic niche cells under the control of Tj. (ii) Cell migration plays an important role in normal development and cancer and is driven by actin-based cellular protrusions. We discovered that Tj controls cell migration in ovarian follicles and identified Protein kinase C delta (Pkcδ) as a potential target of Tj. Both Tj and Pkcd seem to regulate the structure of filamentous actin in cellular protrusions. Here, we propose to investigate the function of Pkcδ in regulating the actin cytoskeleton during cell migration and its interactions with other actin regulators. Collectively, this research will foster our understanding of the molecular network that operates downstream of the Maf transcription factor Tj and regulates the behaviour of cells contributing to cell migration and three-dimensional tissue organization. As Maf factors are conserved in mammals, I anticipate that our research will contribute to a more general understanding of Maf-dependent processes that guide tissue development.