Researchers investigate egg genes of infertile fruit flies

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have revealed fresh insights into the causes of low fertility and sterility. The new study, published in the Journal of Cell Science, sheds light on the way cells divide during reproduction.

A gene has been identified that regulates a process that is essential to the formation of a healthy fertile egg. This gene enables chromosomes – the thread-like structures inside all cells that contain our DNA – to huddle together. Scientists believe that this huddling process is necessary to ensure the egg’s healthy development and fertilisation.

An important discovery was made by the researchers after they studied hundreds of infertile fruit flies. They found that without the gene SRPK, which is present in human and mammalian cells, chromosomes do not cluster. This then leads to sterility and low fertility.

Previous research in mice has shown that this huddling process is essential in order for eggs to remain fertile.

Professor Hiroyuki Ohkura, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Biological Sciences, said: ìFruit fly eggs serve as a good model to understand why sterility and low fertility arises in humans. By studying the phenomenon of chromosome clustering, shared by fruit flies and humans and identifying genes like SRPK we are gaining insights into fertility health."

Experts now hope to be able to understand what goes on in the creation of fertile reproductive cells, though further investigations are needed to help build a more detailed picture on how huddling works.