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First published online November 17, 2003
doi: 10.1242/10.1242/dev.00869

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Echinoid synergizes with the Notch signaling pathway in Drosophila mesothorax bristle patterning

Luis M. Escudero^1,*, Shu-Yi Wei^2,*, Wei-Hsin Chiu², Juan Modolell^1, and Jui-Chou Hsu^2,

¹ Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, C.S.I.C. and U.A.M., Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
² Institute of Molecular Medicine, Department of Life Science, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan 30034, Republic of China

Authors for correspondence (e-mail: jmodol{at}cbm.uam.es and lshsu{at}life.nthu.edu.tw)

Accepted 9 September 2003

echinoid (ed) encodes an immunoglobulin domain-containing cell adhesion molecule that negatively regulates the Egfr signaling pathway during Drosophila photoreceptor development. We show a novel function of Ed, i.e. the restriction of the number of notum bristles that arise from a proneural cluster. Thus, loss-of-function conditions for ed give rise to the development of extra macrochaetae near the extant ones and increase the density of microchaetae. Analysis of ed mosaics indicates that extra sensory organ precursors (SOPs) arise from proneural clusters of achaete-scute expression in a cell-autonomous way. ed embryos also exhibit a neurogenic phenotype. These phenotypes suggest a functional relation between ed and the Notch (N) pathway. Indeed, loss-of-function of ed reduces the expression of the N pathway effector E(spl)m8 in proneural clusters. Moreover, combinations of moderate loss-of-function conditions for ed and for different components of the N pathway show clear synergistic interactions manifested as strong neurogenic bristle phenotypes. We conclude that Ed is not essential for, but it facilitates, N signaling. It is known that the N and Egfr pathways act antagonistically in bristle development. Consistently, we find that Ed also antagonizes the bristle-promoting activity of the Egfr pathway, either by the enhancement of N signalling or, similar to the eye, by a more direct action on the Egfr pathway.

Key words: echinoid, Notch, EGF receptor, Cell adhesion, Signaling, Bristle patterning

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