Early Drosophila Oogenesis: A Tale of Centriolar Asymmetry

Among the morphological processes that characterize the early stages of Drosophila oogenesis, the dynamic of the centrioles deserves particular attention. We re-examined the architecture and the distribution of the centrioles within the germarium and early stages of the vitellarium. We found that most of the germ cell centrioles diverge from the canonical model and display notable variations in size. Moreover, duplication events were frequently observed within the germarium in the absence of DNA replication. Finally, we report the presence of an unusually long centriole that is first detected in the cystoblast and is always associated with the developing oocyte. This centriole is directly inherited after the asymmetric division of the germline stem cells and persists during the process of oocyte selection, thus already representing a marker for oocyte identification at the beginning of its formation and during the ensuing developmental stages.