Principal Investigator
Research Associate
I study insect reproductive behavior using several different approaches including behavioral ecology, ethology, and molecular biology. In the Wolfner lab, I am studying the mode of action of a seminal fluid protein that stimulates ovulation in female Drosophila
melanogaster. This protein, called ovulin or Acp26Aa, is a 264 amino acid prohormone-like protein produced in the reproductive accessory glands of males. Transfer of ovulin to the female begins within the first three minutes of mating and about 10% of it enters circulation with the remainder staying within the reproductive tract. Ovulin enters the circulatory system of the female through a transiently-permeable area of the posterior vaginal wall. Within the female reproductive tract, ovulin targets to the base of the ovaries, the area that has to open for eggs to be released. Ovulin is cleaved within the female reproductive tract, beginning within the first ten minutes of mating. The specific aims of my study are to (i) identify the site(s) of action of ovulin; (ii) test whether processing is necessary for it to function; and (iii) determine which male- and female-derived molecules are involved in ovulin processing.
Currently, I am also working on two other projects related to seminal fluid proteins. First, I am investigating the effects of social environment on seminal fluid protein transfer and processing. In many species, males adjust the number or rate of sperm transferred to females in response to their social environment in a manner that suggests this behavior has evolved due to sperm competition. I am testing whether males also change the amount of seminal fluid proteins transferred in response to perceived sperm competition risk. Second, I am working with Dr. Laura Harrington’s lab to identify the accessory gland proteins of Aedes aegypti.
Post-Doctoral Researchers
Graduate Students
"Egg activation" allows the mature oocytes that result from oogenesis to begin embryogenesis. One aspect of egg activation is the cytoplasmic polyadenylation of certain maternal mRNAs to permit or enhance their translation. I'm studying the wispy gene, which encodes a cytoplasmic polyA polymerase in the GLD-2 family. Wispy is needed for some of the translational regulations during oocyte maturation and upon egg activation in Drosophila.
(Co-advised by Mariana Wolfner and Jason Mezey)
My research currently focuses on a set of male accessory gland proteins (Acps) that are necessary for wild-type progeny production after mating. These Acps are also required for the decrease in receptivity to mates that female Drosophila melanogaster usually display. This group of Acps is thought to be acting in conjunction with the small Acp known as Sex Peptide, the known cause of the "sperm effect", or prolonged post-mating responses. A newly identified Acp that potentially acts with Sex Peptide in this pathway is also required for normal proteolytic processing of the Acp Ovulin. Ovulin is required for normal levels of ovulation for the first 24 hours after mating. In addition to further elucidating the connection between these two pathways, I am also interested in identifying other male- and female-specific loci that affect Ovulin cleavage and will be conducting a genome-wide association mapping study for this purpose. This is especially exciting since virtually nothing is known about female contributions to variation in this Acp-mediated post-mating response.
Research Support Specialist
Norene Buehner
Undergraduate Researchers
Shawna Tonick
Rachel Mayer
Rebecca Zuckerman