Harnessing the Power of Drosophila Primordial Germ Cell Migration

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are embryonic germline precursors of sperm and egg that connect one generation to the next. In many animals, maintaining this intergenerational connection requires long-distance PGC migration across varied tissues during embryonic development. How PGCs traverse these dynamic cellular terrains and respond to a select number of cues while ignoring others remains a mystery. This review describes the molecular mechanisms underlying PGC migration in Drosophila melanogaster, focusing on cell motility modes and the myriad of signals and cells PGCs interact with during their journey. We describe the tools and techniques available in Drosophila to assess and manipulate migrating PGCs and the surrounding cells they encounter. As PGC migration entails wide-ranging cell behaviors from transepithelial migration to directed cell motility across divergent tissues, harnessing the power of Drosophila can provide fundamental insights into how cell movement in vivo drives health and disease.