Ready to Rumpel

The early stages of development involve a lot of cooperation – processes that will become distinct are still linked, proteins share jobs. In adult organisms, just as young ones, this redundancy between roles allows for flexibility – if one molecule is damaged, another picks up the slack. In this developing fruit fly (Drosophila) brain, supportive glial cells (highlighted in pink) surround the branches of early nerve cells blue), helping to circulate nutritious chemicals around the central nervous system. Three glial genes are switched on, which in turn make the proteins Rumpel (green) Bumpel and Kumpel, that help to transport these important chemicals. Researchers find redundancy between them – deliberately removing combinations of the trio often calls on the remaining proteins to step up. But removing all three reveals a surprising link – disruption to the fly’s egg-forming oogenesis, suggesting a similar link between the brain and fertility may exist in our own development.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

Website

• Image from work by Kerem Yildirim and colleagues, published on the cover of Biology Open
• Institute for Neuro- and Behavioral Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
• Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
• Published in Biology Open, January 2022