EGF receptor signaling induces pointed P1 transcription and inactivates Yan protein in the Drosophila embryonic ventral ectoderm

Development ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 122 (11) ◽  
pp. 3355-3362 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Gabay ◽  
H. Scholz ◽  
M. Golembo ◽  
A. Klaes ◽  
B.Z. Shilo ◽  
...  

The induction of different cell fates along the dorsoventral axis of the Drosophila embryo requires a graded activity of the EGF receptor tyrosine kinase (DER). Here we have identified primary and secondary target genes of DER, which mediate the determination of discrete ventral cell fates. High levels of DER activation in the ventralmost cells trigger expression of the transcription factors encoded by ventral nervous system defective (vnd) and pointed P1 (pntPl). Concomitant with the induction of pntP1, high levels of DER activity lead to inactivation of the Yan protein, a transcriptional repressor of Pointed-target genes. These two antagonizing transcription factors subsequently control the expression of secondary target genes such as otd, argos and tartan. The simultaneous effects of the DER pathway on pntP1 induction and Yan inactivation may contribute to the definition of the border of the ventralmost cell fates.

Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sapir ◽  
R. Schweitzer ◽  
B.Z. Shilo

Previous work has demonstrated a role for the Drosophila EGF receptor (Torpedo/DER) and its ligand, Gurken, in the determination of anterioposterior and dorsoventral axes of the follicle cells and oocyte. The roles of DER in establishing the polarity of the follicle cells were examined further, by following the expression of DER-target genes. One class of genes (e.g. kekon) is induced by the DER pathway at all stages. Broad expression of kekon at the stage in which the follicle cells migrate posteriorly over the oocyte, demonstrates the capacity of the pathway to pattern all follicle cells except the ventral-most rows. This may provide the spatial coordinates for the ventral-most follicle cell fates. A second group of target genes (e.g. rhomboid (rho)) is induced only at later stages of oogenesis, and may require additional inputs by signals emanating from the anterior, stretch follicle cells. The function of Rho was analyzed by ectopic expression in the stretch follicle cells, and shown to induce a non-autonomous dorsalizing activity that is independent of Gurken. Rho thus appears to be involved in processing a DER ligand in the follicle cells, to pattern the egg chamber and allow persistent activation of the DER pathway during formation of the dorsal appendages.


2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 377-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Véronique Morel ◽  
François Schweisguth

Notch signal transduction appears to involve the ligand-induced intracellular processing of Notch, and the formation of a processed Notch-Suppressor of Hairless complex that binds DNA and activates the transcription of Notch target genes. This suggests that loss of eitherNotch or Su(H) activities should lead to similar cell fate changes. However, previous data indicate that, in theDrosophila blastoderm embryo, mesectoderm specification requires Notch but not Su(H) activity. The determination of the mesectodermal fate is specified by Single-minded (Sim), a transcription factor expressed in a single row of cells abutting the mesoderm. The molecular mechanisms by which the dorsoventral gradient of nuclear Dorsal establishes the single-cell wide territory of sim expression are not fully understood. We have found that Notch activity is required for simexpression in cellularizing embryos. In contrast, at this stage,Su(H) has a dual function. Su(H) activity was required to up-regulate sim expression in the mesectoderm, and to prevent the ectopic expression of sim dorsally in the neuroectoderm. We have shown that repression of simtranscription by Su(H) is direct and independent of Notchactivity. Conversely, activation of sim transcription by Notch requires the Su(H)-binding sites. Thus, Notch signalling appears to relieve the repression exerted by Su(H) and to up-regulate simtranscription in the mesectoderm. We propose a model in which repression by Su(H) and derepression by Notch are essential to allow for the definition of a single row of mesectodermal cells in the blastoderm embryo.


Development ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 126 (24) ◽  
pp. 5739-5747 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Martin-Blanco ◽  
F. Roch ◽  
E. Noll ◽  
A. Baonza ◽  
J.B. Duffy ◽  
...  

The Drosophila EGF receptor (DER) is required for the specification of diverse cell fates throughout development. We have examined how the activation of DER controls the development of vein and intervein cells in the Drosophila wing. The data presented here indicate that two distinct events are involved in the determination and differentiation of wing cells. (1) The establishment of a positive feedback amplification loop, which drives DER signaling in larval stages. At this time, rhomboid (rho), in combination with vein, initiates and amplifies the activity of DER in vein cells. (2) The late downregulation of DER activity. At this point, the inactivation of MAPK in vein cells is necessary for the maintenance of the expression of decapentaplegic (dpp) and becomes essential for vein differentiation. Together, these temporal and spatial changes in the activity of DER constitute an autoregulatory network that controls the definition of vein and intervein cell types.


Author(s):  
Brittany Cain ◽  
Brian Gebelein

Metazoans differentially express multiple Hox transcription factors to specify diverse cell fates along the developing anterior-posterior axis. Two challenges arise when trying to understand how the Hox transcription factors regulate the required target genes for morphogenesis: First, how does each Hox factor differ from one another to accurately activate and repress target genes required for the formation of distinct segment and regional identities? Second, how can a Hox factor that is broadly expressed in many tissues within a segment impact the development of specific organs by regulating target genes in a cell type-specific manner? In this review, we highlight how recent genomic, interactome, and cis-regulatory studies are providing new insights into answering these two questions. Collectively, these studies suggest that Hox factors may differentially modify the chromatin of gene targets as well as utilize numerous interactions with additional co-activators, co-repressors, and sequence-specific transcription factors to achieve accurate segment and cell type-specific transcriptional outcomes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 723-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Carnesecchi ◽  
Pedro B. Pinto ◽  
Ingrid Lohmann

Hox transcription factors (TFs) function as key determinants in the specification of cell fates during development. They do so by triggering entire morphogenetic cascades through the activation of specific target genes. In contrast to their fundamental role in development, the molecular mechanisms employed by Hox TFs are still poorly understood. In recent years, a new picture has emerged regarding the function of Hox proteins in gene regulation. Initial studies have primarily focused on understanding how Hox TFs recognize and bind specific enhancers to activate defined Hox targets. However, genome-wide studies on the interactions and dynamics of Hox proteins have revealed a more elaborate function of the Hox factors. It is now known that Hox proteins are involved in several steps of gene expression with potential regulatory functions in the modification of the chromatin landscape and its accessibility, recognition and activation of specific cis-regulatory modules, assembly and activation of promoter transcription complexes and mRNA processing. In the coming years, the characterization of the molecular activity of Hox TFs in these mechanisms will greatly contribute to our general understanding of Hox activity.


Author(s):  
Mireya Ruiz-Losada ◽  
Cristian Pérez-Reyes ◽  
Carlos Estella

Appendage development requires the coordinated function of signaling pathways and transcription factors to pattern the leg along the three main axes: the antero-posterior (AP), proximo-distal (PD), and dorso-ventral (DV). The Drosophila leg DV axis is organized by two morphogens, Decapentaplegic (Dpp), and Wingless (Wg), which direct dorsal and ventral cell fates, respectively. However, how these signals regulate the differential expression of its target genes is mostly unknown. In this work, we found that two members of the Drosophila forkhead family of transcription factors, Fd4 and Fd5 (also known as fd96Ca and fd96Cb), are identically expressed in the ventro-lateral domain of the leg imaginal disc in response to Dpp signaling. Here, we analyze the expression regulation and function of these genes during leg development. We have generated specific mutant alleles for each gene and a double fd4/fd5 mutant chromosome to study their function during development. We highlight the redundant role of the fd4/fd5 genes during the formation of the sex comb, a male specific structure that appears in the ventro-lateral domain of the prothoracic leg.


Development ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 116 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Goode ◽  
D. Wright ◽  
A.P. Mahowald

We have characterized the function of a new neurogenic locus, brainiac (brn), during oogenesis. Homozygous brn females lay eggs with fused dorsal appendages, a phenotype associated with torpedo (top) alleles of the Drosophila EGF receptor (DER) locus. By constructing double mutant females for both brn and top, we have found that brn is required for determining the dorsal-ventral polarity of the ovarian follicle. However, embryos from mature brn eggs develop a neurogenic phenotype which can be zygotically rescued if a wild-type sperm fertilizes the egg. This is the first instance of a Drosophila gene required for determination of dorsal-ventral follicle cell fates that is not required for determination of embryonic dorsal-ventral cell fates. The temperature-sensitive period for brn dorsal-ventral patterning begins at the inception of vitellogenesis. The interaction between brn and DER is also required for at least two earlier follicle cell activities which are necessary to establish the ovarian follicle. Prefollicular cells fail to migrate between each oocyte/nurse cell complex, resulting in follicles with multiple sets of oocytes and nurse cells. brn and DER function is also required for establishing and/or maintaining a continuous follicular epithelium around each oocyte/nurse cell complex. These brn functions as well as the brn requirement for determination of dorsal-ventral polarity appear to be genetically separable functions of the brn locus. Genetic mosaic experiments show that brn is required in the germline during these processes whereas the DER is required in the follicle cells. We propose that brn may be part of a germline signaling pathway differentially regulating successive DER-dependent follicle cell activities of migration, division and/or adhesion and determination during oogenesis. These experiments indicate that brn is required in both tyrosine kinase and neurogenic intercellular signaling pathways. Moreover, the functions of brn in oogenesis are distinct from those of Notch and Delta, two other neurogenic loci that are known to be required for follicular development.


Development ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 124 (22) ◽  
pp. 4707-4716 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Wappner ◽  
L. Gabay ◽  
B.Z. Shilo

The formation of the tracheal network in Drosophila is driven by stereotyped migration of cells from the tracheal pits. No cell divisions take place during tracheal migration and the number of cells in each branch is fixed. This work examines the basis for the determination of tracheal branch fates, prior to the onset of migration. We show that the EGF receptor pathway is activated by localized processing of the ligand SPITZ in the tracheal placodes and is responsible for the capacity to form the dorsal trunk and visceral branch. The DPP pathway, on the contrary, is induced in the tracheal pit by local presentation of DPP from the adjacent dorsal and ventral ectodermal cells. This pathway patterns the dorsal and lateral branches. Elimination of both pathways blocks migration of all tracheal branches. Antagonistic interactions between the two pathways are demonstrated. The opposing activities of two pathways may refine the final determination of tracheal branch fates.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay A. Phillips ◽  
Markle L. Atienza ◽  
Jae-Ryeon Ryu ◽  
Pia C. Svendsen ◽  
Lynn K. Kelemen ◽  
...  

AbstractVentral leg patterning in Drosophila is controlled by the expression of the redundant T-box Transcription factors midline (mid) and H15. Here we show that mid represses the Dpp-activated gene Daughters against decapentaplegic (Dad) through a consensus TBE site in the minimal enhancer, Dad13. Mutating the Dad13 DNA sequence results in an increased and broadening of Dad expression. We further demonstrate that the engrailed-homology-1 domain of Mid is critical for regulating the levels of phospho-Mad, a transducer of Dpp-signaling. However, we find that mid does not affect all Dpp-target genes as we demonstrate that brinker (brk) expression is unresponsive to mid. This study further illuminates the interplay between mechanisms involved in determination of cellular fate and the varied roles of mid.Summary statementVentral patterning is controlled in part by the T-box Transcription factor midline blocking Dpp signaling and Dpp-activated genes, though midline does not affect the Dpp-repressed gene brk.


Genetics ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 159 (3) ◽  
pp. 1031-1044
Author(s):  
Kori Radke ◽  
Kimberly Johnson ◽  
Rong Guo ◽  
Anne Davidson ◽  
Linda Ambrosio

Abstract In the early Drosophila embryo the activity of the EGF-receptor (Egfr) is required to instruct cells to adopt a ventral neuroectodermal fate. Using a gain-of-function mutation we showed that D-raf acts to transmit this and other late-acting embryonic Egfr signals. A novel role for D-raf was also identified in lateral cell development using partial loss-of-function D-raf mutations. Thus, we provide evidence that zygotic D-raf acts to specify cell fates in two distinct pathways that generate dorsoventral pattern within the ectoderm. These functional requirements for D-raf activity occur subsequent to its maternal role in organizing the anterioposterior axis. The consequences of eliminating key D-raf regulatory domains and specific serine residues in the transmission of Egfr and lateral epidermal signals were also addressed here.


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