Traumatic injury leads to ovarian cell death and reproductive disturbances in Drosophila melanogaster.

Abstract

Traumatic injury (TI), or global blunt force trauma, can arise from many sources such as car crashes, sports and intimate partner violence. Effects from these injuries impact the whole organism and can lead to many different pathologies, such as inflammation, neurodegeneration, gut dysbiosis, and female reproductive detriments. Drosophila melanogaster has recently emerged as a powerful model to study traumatic injuries due to their high conservation of physiological effects post-trauma and the genetic toolset that they leverage. Previously, we reported female-specific reproductive deficits post mild TI in Drosophila. Here we investigate the effects of more severe trauma on females and found an increased retention of mature eggs and decrease in egg laying. Additionally, severe trauma led to an increase of midstage egg chamber death and formation of melanization, a known marker of immune activation. These studies provide a valuable invertebrate model to understand disturbances to female reproduction post-trauma.