pro-1 encodes a WD-repeat-containing protein that is orthologous to Saccharomyces cerevisiae IPI3; pro-1 activity is required for ribosome biogenesis and specifically, for efficient processing of intervening sequence 2 (ITS2) from rRNA intermediates during 26S rRNA maturation; during development, pro-1 is essential for larval growth, fertility, and normal cell division patterns; in addition, pro-1 is required cell autonomously in the somatic gonad for proper spatial and temporal regulation of germline development and proliferation; a pro-1 promoter::gfp fusion construct reveals that pro-1 is widely expressed in the embryo as well as in every major post-embryonic lineage including the somatic gonad.
Involved in germ cell development; gonad development; and rRNA processing. Predicted to be located in nucleoplasm. Predicted to be part of Rix1 complex and nuclear pre-replicative complex. Expressed widely. Is an ortholog of human WDR18 (WD repeat domain 18).