Kai Group, Laboratory of Germline Biology, Division of Integrated Life Science, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University

Although individual animals do die, the species are maintained by sexual reproduction which give rises to next generation. Individuals are just like vehicles in which passenger –genetic information– can ride to be inherited to next generation through germline lineage. As such, germline cells are the most important cells to maintain the species. Drosophila melanogaster is one of the ideal model organisms where we can study gametogenesis. How are germline stem cells maintained in the microenvironment, niche? What is the molecular mechanism that controls germline cells to mature into egg and sperm? How germline genomes are safely guarded by non-coding RNA from transposons attacks? Our group has been addressing such molecular mechanisms for better understanding of gametogenesis.