Abstract
In Drosophila, ovulation can be induced either spontaneously in virgin flies or through mating. Previous work has shown that ovarian-neuronal communication via Dilp8-Lgr3 signalling is important for Drosophila ovulation; however, the role of this pathway in spontaneous ovulation is not known. In a new study, Alisson Gontijo, Andres Garelli and colleagues show that Dilp8-Lgr3 facilitates the spontaneous release of mature oocytes, thereby preventing oocytes of deteriorating quality from accumulating in virgin Drosophila ovaries. To learn more about this work and the researchers behind it, we talked to first authors Yanel Volonté, Fabiana Heredia and Rebeca Zanini, as well as corresponding authors Andres Garelli, head of the Laboratory of Physiology and Developmental Genetics at Universidad Nacional del Sur in Argentina, and Alisson M. Gontijo, head of the Integrative Biomedicine Group at the Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes at the University of Lisbon, Portugal.
