The fatty acid elongase NOA is necessary for viability and has a somatic role in Drosophila sperm development

The essential gene noa (CG 3971; also known as Baldspot) encodes a very long chain fatty acid elongase which is most similar to the mammalian elongase ELOVL6. noa is expressed in the nervous system from embryogenesis on, in imaginal discs, the fat body, malpighian tubules and in the gonads of both sexes. Its function is dose dependent, since reduced levels of noa RNA lead to impaired motility and severely reduced viability. In testes, noa RNA is detected in the cyst cells during the postmeiotic phase of germ cell development. An RNAi construct selectively driven in cyst cells leads to male sterility, demonstrating the necessity of noa function for male germline development and the interaction of the somatic cyst cells with the developing sperm.