Mitochondrial DNA contribution to Drosophila development

With my partner in crime, Hong Xu, I used a novel genetic screen based on mitochondria-targeted restriction enzymes to isolate mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutant flies that can be used to model human neural and muscular disorders. In a second project, I uncovered mtDNA elimination processes that ensure the maternal inheritance of mtDNA in Drosophila.  Currently, I am studying the effects of mtDNA damage in developing tissue and I am characterizing the importance of mitochondria in ensuring proper tissue differentiation and tumor suppression.

Publications:

1: DeLuca SZ, O'Farrell PH. Barriers to male transmission of mitochondrial DNA in sperm development. Dev Cell. 2012 Mar 13;22(3):660-8. PMID: 22421049

2: Foe IT, Foster SA, Cheung SK, DeLuca SZ, Morgan DO, Toczyski DP. Ubiquitination of Cdc20 by the APC occurs through an intramolecular mechanism. Curr Biol. 2011 Nov 22;21(22):1870-7. PMID: 22079111

3: Xu H, DeLuca SZ, O'Farrell PH. Manipulating the metazoan mitochondrial genome with targeted restriction enzymes. Science. 2008 Jul 25;321(5888):575-7. PMID: 18653897

4: Au WC, Crisp MJ, DeLuca SZ, Rando OJ, Basrai MA. Altered dosage and mislocalization of histone H3 and Cse4p lead to chromosome loss in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetics. 2008 May;179(1):263-75. PubMed PMID: 18458100