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Development ePress online publication date 6 Oct 2004
doi: 10.1242/dev.01427
Research article
Morphogenesis in the absence of integrins: mutation of both Drosophila
subunits prevents midgut migration
Danelle Devenport
and
Nicholas H. Brown*
* Author for correspondence (e-mail: n.brown{at}gurdon.cam.ac.uk)
Two integrin
subunits are encoded in the Drosophila genome. The
PS subunit is widely expressed and heterodimers containing this subunit are required for many developmental processes. The second
subunit, 
, is a divergent integrin expressed primarily in the midgut endoderm. To elucidate its function, we generated null mutations in the gene encoding 
. We find that 
is not required for viability or fertility, and overall the mutant flies are normal in appearance. However, we could observe 
function in the absence of
PS. Consistent with its expression, removal of 
only enhanced the phenotype of
PS in the developing midgut. In embryos lacking the zygotic contribution of
PS, loss of 
resulted in enhanced separation between the midgut and the surrounding visceral mesoderm. In the absence of both maternal and zygotic
PS, a delay in midgut migration was observed, but removing 
as well blocked migration completely. These results demonstrate that the second
subunit can partially compensate for loss of
PS integrins, and that integrins are essential for migration of the primordial midgut cells. The two
subunits mediate midgut migration by distinct mechanisms: one that requires talin and one that does not. Other examples of developmental cell migration, such as that of the primordial germ cells, occurred normally in the absence of integrins. Having generated the tools to eliminate integrin function completely, we confirm that Drosophila integrins do not control proliferation as they do in mammals, and have identified
PS3 as a heterodimeric partner for 
.

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