The role of the gene bozooka during asymmetric division of neural stem cells in Drosophila

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Typical stem cell divisions are asymmetric and produce two daughter cells different developmental potential. In most cases, one daughter cell adopts a progenitor fate and will produce cells that undergo terminal differentiation, while the other daughter cell maintains the full potential of a stem cell. The stem cells of the Drosophila central nervous system, so called neuroblasts, divide asymmetrically and give rise to a ganglion mother cell (a neuronal progenitor cell) and another neuroblast in each division. We have identified two genes, bazooka and DaPKC, that are indispensable for asymmetric localization of cell fate determinants and for correct orientation of the mitotic spindle in neuroblasts. Both genes encode core components of the evolutionarily highly conserved PAR/aPKC complex. In the proposed project we investigate which regions of the Bazooka protein are functionally important for the control of asymmetric neuroblast division. To this aim, we assay the subcellular localization and functionality of several mutant versions of Bazooka generated by in vitro mutagenesis in vivo using transgenic flies. In addition, we use a dominant overexpression phenotype in the eye as a readout for a genetic screen to isolate point mutations in bazooka and to identify genes that functionally interact with bazooka.