Data supporting A deficiency screen identifies genomic regions critical for sperm head-tail connection

These data include images that represent the mean data point from this publication, plus the original images (data) from which the figures from the manuscript were generated. The amount of space needed to upload the data from all data points is prohibitive in this format. We will gladly provide all the data, however, upon request by anyone. We also include the excel sheets containing the HTCA and raw fertility counts.

Publication Abstract

The Sperm Neck provides a stable connection between the sperm head and tail, which is critical for fertility in species with flagellated sperm. Within the Sperm Neck, the Head-Tail Coupling Apparatus (HTCA) serves as the critical link between the nucleus (head) and the axoneme (tail) via the centriole. To identify regions of the Drosophila melanogaster genome that contain genetic elements that influence HTCA formation, we undertook a two part screen using the Drosophila deficiency (Df) kit. For this screen, we utilized a sensitized genetic background that overexpresses the pericentriolar material regulatory protein Pericentrin-Like Protein (PLP). We had previously shown that PLP overexpression (PLP^OE) disrupts the head-tail connection in some spermatids, but not to a degree sufficient to reduce fertility. In the first step of the screen we tested for Dfs that in combination with PLP^OE cause a reduction in fertility. We ultimately identified 11 regions of the genome that resulted in an enhanced fertility defect when combined with PLP^OE. In the second step of the screen we tested these Dfs for their ability to enhance the head-tail connection defect caused by PLP^OE, finding 6 genomic regions. We then tested smaller Dfs to narrow the region of the genome that contained these enhancers and examined the expression patterns of the genes within these Dfs using publicly available datasets of Drosophila tissue RNAseq and Drosophila testes snRNAseq. In total, our analysis suggests that some Dfs may contain single genes that influence HTCA formation or fertility, while other Dfs appear to be genomic regions rich in testis-expressed genes that might affect the HTCA through complex, multi-gene interactions.