Mechanisms of oocyte renewal in the adult zebrafish ovary

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).The reproductive capacity of animals is determined, in large part, by the numbers of eggs a female can produce during her lifetime. In mammals, such as humans, new eggs are only produce in the embryonic ovary, and no new eggs are produced in adults. By contrast, egg production in other vertebrates, such as fishes, appears to not be limited to a discrete developmental stage, but instead occurs throughout larval and adult life. Despite this fundamental process, relatively little is known about the mechanisms responsible for regulating the numbers of eggs produced in any non-mammalian vertebrate. The Draper lab will use a combination of genetic, genomic and cell biological methods to determine the mechanism of egg production in fish using the genetically tractable zebrafish for their studies. The Draper lab's primary hypothesis is that new eggs in adult female zebrafish are continually produced from "egg" stem cells, called oogonial stem cells. His lab will identify these cells and determine the genes that are important for their development and function. This work will be of broad relevance not only to reproductive biologist, but also to others working in the fields of developmental, evolutionary and stem cell biology. In addition, understanding the fundamental biology that regulates fish reproductive capacity will have broad relevance to more applied disciplines, such as aquaculture, as fish are a vital food source for much of the worlds population and wild fish populations are under intense and increasing pressure due to over-fishing and habitat destruction. Finally, this project will provide excellent research opportunities for undergraduate students and the lab will continue to work with the McNair and UC LEADS Scholars programs that provide research opportunities mentoring for underprivileged and minority undergraduate students.