Investigating Regulatory Functions of the hnRNP Glorund During Development in Drosophila menalogaster

Abstract

Post-transcriptional gene regulation by RNA binding proteins (RPBs) has proven crucial for numerous developmental processes. Participating in nearly all aspects of RNA metabolism, RBPs have been shown to function as splicing and polyadenylation factors, stabilizers and destabilizers, and localization and translation factors. To meet these diverse functional requirements, many RBPs have evolved to recognize a number of RNAs. However, the molecular foundation of this functional diversity is poorly understood. Glorund (Glo), the Drosophila F/H hnRNP homolog, provides an ideal model for studying these mechanisms, as Glo appears to regulate several RNAs with functions in multiple developmental processes. Glo was first identified as a translational repressor of the nanos (nos) mRNA, but research indicates that Glo also interacts genetically with the alternatively spliced ovarian tumor (otu) mRNA, and indicates a potential role for Glo in the regulation of ecdysis in the larval CNS. This work investigates the role of Glo in both of these processes. We demonstrate that Glo does not appear function directly in the alternative splicing of otu. Additionally, we provide evidence that Glo does not function in the ecdysis pathway. This thesis contributes knowledge toward the decipherment of Glo’s functional diversity, and suggests directions for future work that will enhance our understanding of both Glo and the family of F/H hnRNPs as a whole.