Ring canals permit extensive cytoplasm sharing among germline cells independent of fusomes in Drosophila testes

Abstract Intercellular bridges, also called ring canals (RCs), connect germline cells during gametogenesis in males and females. They form as a consequence of incomplete cytokinesis during cell division leaving groups of daughter cells connected in syncytia. In Drosophila females, RCs are required for oocyte growth but little is known about the role of RCs during spermatogenesis. Using live imaging, we document extensive intercellular movement of GFP and a subset of endogenous proteins through RCs during spermatogenesis from two-cell diploid spermatogonia to clusters of 64 post-meiotic haploid spermatids. Loss of the fusome, a large cytoplasmic structure extending through RCs that is known to be important during oogenesis, has minimal impact on RC development or intercellular protein movement during spermatogenesis. Our results reveal that male germline RCs remain persistently open and mediate extensive sharing of cytoplasmic information, supporting multiple roles for RCs throughout sperm development.