QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

First published online 17 March 2004
doi: 10.1242/dev.01058

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: dev.01058v1 131/8/1835    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Urban, S. Articles by Freeman, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Urban, S. Articles by Freeman, M. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

EGF receptor signalling protects smooth-cuticle cells from apoptosis during Drosophila ventral epidermis development

Sinisa Urban^*, Gemma Brown and Matthew Freeman

MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QH, UK

Author for correspondence (e-mail: MF1{at}mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk)

Accepted 30 December 2003

Patterning of the Drosophila ventral epidermis is a tractable model for understanding the role of signalling pathways in development. Interplay between Wingless and EGFR signalling determines the segmentally repeated pattern of alternating denticle belts and smooth cuticle: spitz group genes, which encode factors that stimulate EGFR signalling, induce the denticle fate, while Wingless signalling antagonizes the effect of EGFR signalling, allowing cells to adopt the smooth-cuticle fate. Medial fusion of denticle belts is also a hallmark of spitz group genes, yet its underlying cause is unknown. We have studied this phenotype and discovered a new function for EGFR signalling in epidermal patterning. Smooth-cuticle cells, which are receiving Wingless signalling, are nevertheless dependent on EGFR signalling for survival. Reducing EGFR signalling results in apoptosis of smooth-cuticle cells between stages 12 and 14, bringing adjacent denticle regions together to result in denticle belt fusions by stage 15. Multiple factors stimulate EGFR signalling to promote smooth-cuticle cell survival: in addition to the spitz group genes, Rhomboid-3/roughoid, but not Rhomboid-2 or -4, and the neuregulin-like ligand Vein also function in survival signalling. Pointed mutants display the lowest frequency of fusions, suggesting that EGFR signalling may inhibit apoptosis primarily at the post-translational level. All ventral epidermal cells therefore require some level of EGFR signalling; high levels specify the denticle fate, while lower levels maintain smooth-cuticle cell survival. This strategy might guard against developmental errors, and may be conserved in mammalian epidermal patterning.

Key words: EGF receptor, Denticle belt fusion, spitz group, Rhomboid, Epidermis, Intramembrane proteolysis, Apoptosis, Cuticle, Pointed

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Urban Rhomboid proteins: conserved membrane proteases with divergent biological functions. Genes & Dev., November 15, 2006; 20(22): 3054 - 3068. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B.-Z. Shilo Regulating the dynamics of EGF receptor signaling in space and time Development, September 15, 2005; 132(18): 4017 - 4027. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Papatsenko and M. Levine Gene Regulatory Networks Special Feature: Quantitative analysis of binding motifs mediating diverse spatial readouts of the Dorsal gradient in the Drosophila embryo PNAS, April 5, 2005; 102(14): 4966 - 4971. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]