Project Details
Projekt
Heterologous interactions between the follicle epithelium and germline cells - Self-organization of egg chamber morphogenesis in the Drosophila ovary
Subject Area
Cell Biology
Developmental Biology
Developmental Biology
Term
since 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 564767109
Coordinated tissue morphogenesis depends on precise interactions among distinct cell lineages. In oogenesis, dynamic contacts between the somatic follicle epithelium and germline-derived cells are crucial for producing a fertile oocyte. Although these interactions are central to reproduction in many metazoan life cycles, their molecular and cellular mechanisms - and the morphogenetic roles of these heterologous cell-cell contacts - remain only partially understood. In this proposal, we will use the Drosophila egg chamber as a model to dissect how surface contacts between epithelial follicle cells and germline cells are regulated during oogenesis. Specifically, we aim to identify the molecules, signaling pathways, and cellular structures that underlie the strong affinity between anterior follicle cells and germline nurse cells. We expect that these factors act as effectors of cell adhesion or cortical actomyosin tension, enabling coordinated surface area changes and driving germline-soma interface dynamics. To achieve these goals, we will integrate the strengths of Drosophila genetics, high-resolution imaging, and quantitative image analysis with the predictive power of mathematical phase field modeling. We will specifically use the numerical approach to understand how such heterologous interactions shape the size, architecture, and organization of germline nurse cells. Our proposal offers an opportunity to understand the basis of a robust self-organizing system that not only establishes the right match between epithelial follicle cell populations and germline cells but also regulates and balances the physical forces acting in the system to control growth, shape, rearrangement and overall architecture of both nurse cells and the developing oocyte.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
