Poster Sessions

MOLBIO/BIOCHEM/BIOPHYS-3

Duy Tran

D.T. Tran, E Tian, K.G. Ten Hagen

Investigating the Role of Protein O-Glycosylation During Drosophila Development

Protein O-glycosylation represents a major form of post-translational modification that is conserved across most eukaryotic species. One type of O-glycosylation, known as mucin-type O-glycosylation, is initiated by a family of enzymes that catalyzes the transfer of GalNAc to protein substrates. In Drosophila melanogaster, loss-of-function mutations in one family member, pgant35A, resulted in death early in development and irregularities in epithelial tube formation, indicating that PGANT35A is essential for viability. However, it remains unclear what roles the other family members may play during development. To define the developmental roles of the remaining family members, we have employed RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated knockdown of individual genes in the fly. Using this approach we have identified other members of the PGANT gene family that are required for viability. These results further demonstrate the importance of this enzyme family in Drosophila. To further define the role of each pgant, tissue and stage-specific RNAi will be used to silence each gene. These experiments will allow us to identify specific tissues and developmental stages where pgant function is required. Our studies aim to elucidate the role of mucin-type O-glycosylation throughout Drosophila development and provide insight into the role of this highly conserved protein modification during mammalian development.