Wampa is a dynein subunit required for axonemal assembly and male fertility in Drosophila.
In cilia and flagella, dyneins form complexes which give rise to the inner and outer axonemal arms. Defects in the dynein arms are the leading cause of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD), which is characterized by chronic respiratory infections, situs inversus, and sterility. While the pathological features associated with PCD are increasingly well characterized, many of the causative genetic lesions remain elusive. Using Drosophila, here we analyze genetic requirements for wampa (wam), a previously uncharacterized component of the outer dynein arm. While homozygous mutant animals are viable and display no morphological defects, loss of wam results in complete male sterility. Ultrastructural analysis further reveals that wam mutant spermatids lack the axonemal outer dynein arms, which leads to a complete loss of flagellar motility. In addition to a role in outer dynein arm formation, we also uncover other novel microtubule-associated requirements for wam during spermatogenesis, including the regulation of mitochondrial localization and the shaping of the nuclear head. Due to the conserved nature of dyneins, this study advances our understanding of the pathology of PCD and the functional role of dyneins in axoneme formation and other aspects of spermatogenesis.