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First published online 4 July 2007
doi: 10.1242/dev.02878
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1 Medical Research Council Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King's College
London, 4th Floor New Hunt's House, Guy's Hospital, London SE1 1UL, UK.
2 Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, 1 Research Link, National University of
Singapore, Singapore 117604, Republic of Singapore.
Author for correspondence (e-mail:
marita{at}tll.org.sg)
Accepted 14 May 2007
| SUMMARY |
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Key words: SoxNeuro, Dichaete, shavenbaby, Drosophila epidermal growth factor receptor (Der)- and Wingless (Wg)-pathway activities, Epidermal differentiation
| INTRODUCTION |
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The expression of svb in a discreet and invariable domain poses a question that appears in many developmental contexts: how do individual cells integrate opposing extrinsic information such that the response of the cell is non-stochastic and invariable? Circumstantial evidence suggests that svb is not a direct target gene of the Wg signaling cascade. Our study shows that the high mobility group (HMG)-domain protein SoxNeuro (SoxN) has a dual role in the establishment and maintenance of a discreet domain of svb expression. First, SoxN expression is activated by Der- and repressed by Wg-pathway activities. SoxN is necessary for the expression of svb and is sufficient to cell-autonomously activate svb expression even in the presence of high levels of Wg signaling. Hence, SoxN represents a molecular link between these signaling cascades and the expression of svb. Moreover, we show that svb is required for the maintenance of but not for the establishment of the late epidermal SoxN expression. This indicates a reciprocal regulatory relationship between svb and SoxN. Second, many vertebrate Sox proteins have been shown to antagonize Wg pathway activity. We present evidence that this function is conserved in Drosophila SoxN. Hence, the spatial limits of both SoxN expression and Wg pathway activity are determined by a negative-feedback loop. These results suggest that the expression of svb in a discreet domain is resolved at the level of SoxN. Furthermore, we show that a closely related HMG-domain protein, Dichaete, is co-regulated with SoxN and has a redundant, albeit weaker, function in the activation of svb expression and in the restriction of Wg pathway activity.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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Immunohistochemistry
Embryos were collected, fixed and immunostained as previously described
(Yang et al., 1997
). Primary
antibodies were polyclonal mouse anti-SoxN (1:1000)
(Buescher et al., 2002
);
polyclonal rabbit anti-Dichaete (1:1000)
(Nambu and Nambu, 1996
);
monoclonal mouse anti-Engrailed/Invected (also known as Engrailed, En) (4D9;
developed by C. Goodman). The Engrailed/Invected hybridomas were obtained from
the Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank developed under the auspices of the
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and
maintained by the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA. Histochemical detection
was performed with Jackson ImmunoResearch HRP-conjugated secondary antibodies
and visualized by the glucose-oxidase-DAB-nickel method, as described
(Shu et al., 1988
).
Fluorescent secondary antibodies were obtained from Jackson ImmunoResearch
(Cy3- and FITC-conjugated anti-mouse and anti-rabbit antibodies).
In situ hybridization
RNA in situ hybridization was carried out as described previously
(Tautz and Pfeifle, 1989
). For
the generation of the svb RNA probe, a svb-specific DNA
fragment of approximately 1.5 kb length was amplified from genomic DNA using
PCR and subsequently used as a template for in vitro transcription with T7 RNA
polymerase.
| RESULTS |
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SoxN is necessary and sufficient to activate the expression of svb downstream of the Der- and Wg-pathway activities
Our observations raise the issue as to whether the expression of
SoxN and svb are regulated in parallel by the Der- and
Wg-pathway activities, or whether Spi and Wg might regulate the expression of
SoxN, which could in turn activate the expression of svb. To
address this, we first examined whether loss of SoxN results in a
loss of svb expression. In stage-14 SoxN mutant embryos, we
found that svb expression was strongly reduced compared with
wild-type, indicating that SoxN is necessary for the expression of
svb (Fig. 2A,B). To
determine whether SoxN is sufficient to cause ectopic svb
expression/denticle formation, we used a number of Gal4 lines that
drive expression in different parts of the ventral epidermis, and observed
that misexpression of SoxN resulted in ectopic denticle formation. For
example, misexpression of SoxN in the anterior row of the En stripe
(enGal4-UAS-SoxN) resulted in ectopic denticle
formation within this row of cells (Fig.
2C). Misexpression of SoxN with the armVP16Gal4 driver
(armVP16Gal4-UAS-SoxN-YFP) resulted in ectopic
denticle formation in most of the ventral epidermis except for in narrow
stripes anterior to the row 1 denticles. In these regions, ectopic denticle
formation remained sparse. The ectopic denticle formation reflected the
ectopic expression of svb in broadened segmental stripes, which were
separated by narrow gaps with little or no svb expression
(Fig. 2E). Although the
armVP16Gal4 driver has been described as directing the expression of
transgenes in a ubiquitous manner, staining of
armVP16Gal4-UAS-SoxN-YFP embryos with anti-GFP
indicated that this was not the case. Instead, we observed
YFP-immunoreactivity in broad stripes, which were separated by narrow stripes
with little or no YFP (Fig.
2F). This suggests that the ectopic expression of
svb/ectopic denticle formation in
armVP16Gal4-UAS-SoxN-YFP embryos reflects the
distribution of SoxN-YFP.
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In wg null mutant embryos, svb is expressed throughout
the ventral epidermis and the resulting cuticle is covered by a lawn of
denticles (Fig. 3A)
(Payre et al., 1999
). Our
results suggest that ectopic denticle formation in wg mutants might
result from the derepression of SoxN, which, in turn, activates the
expression of svb. Removal of SoxN function in a wg mutant
background resulted in cuticles with few or no ectopic denticles, indicating
that ectopic denticle formation in wg mutants is, at least in part,
dependent on SoxN (Fig. 3B). We
confirmed this result by analyzing the function of SoxN in the absence of
pangolin (pan, dTCF), the nuclear effector of Wg signaling
(van de Wetering et al.,
1997
). pan2 mutant larvae were covered by a
lawn of denticles (Fig. 3C).
Reduction of SoxN function (pan2;SoxN/+) resulted in fewer
ectopic denticles, whereas removal of all SoxN function
(pan2;SoxN) resulted in a SoxN mutant cuticle
phenotype (Fig. 3D,E). Hence,
SoxN acts genetically downstream of wg to activate the expression of
svb.
As shown above, SoxN expression is activated by Der pathway activity. This
suggests that SoxN might act downstream of Spi to activate svb. To
confirm this hypothesis we analyzed the epistatic relationships of the Der
pathway, SoxN and svb. Previous studies had shown that activation of
the Der pathway throughout the ventral epidermis results in the formation of
ectopic denticles (Payre et al.,
1999
; Szuts et al.,
1997
). We confirmed this result using the scabrous
(sca)-Gal4 driver to misexpress an activated form of the
epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr)
(scaGal4-UAS-EgfrAct). scaGal4
drives the expression of transgenes throughout the ventral epidermis from
stage 9 onwards. Activation of the Der pathway throughout the ventral
epidermis resulted in the formation of three to four rows of ectopic denticles
posterior to the wild-type row-6 denticles
(Fig. 3F). Removal of SoxN
function in embryos misexpressing EgfrAct
(SoxN;scaGal4-UAS-EgfrAct) strongly
reduced ectopic denticle formation, indicating that the ability of Der pathway
activity to direct denticle formation is at least in part dependent on SoxN
function (Fig. 3G).
Taken together, our results show that SoxN directs the formation of denticles downstream of Der- and Wg-pathway activities and upstream of svb. Hence, SoxN links the Der- and Wg-signaling cascades with svb, expression of which itself is necessary and sufficient to direct denticle formation.
svb function is necessary for the maintenance of epidermal SoxN expression
The expression of SoxN in epidermal stripes of 6-cell width is established
by stage 13 and is maintained until the end of embryogenesis. As shown above,
the establishment of the SoxN expression domain results from the opposing
activities of the Der and Wg pathways. However, the maintenance of SoxN
expression until the end of embryogenesis might depend on additional factors.
From late stage 13 onwards, SoxN and svb are co-expressed.
Taking into account that Svb is a transcription factor, it is conceivable that
Svb acts to support the late expression of SoxN. To analyze whether Svb plays
a role in the maintenance of SoxN expression, we stained
svb1 mutant embryos with anti-SoxN antibody. At embryonic
stage 13, SoxN expression in wild-type and svb1 mutant
embryos showed no appreciable differences, indicating that svb
function is not required for the establishment of the SoxN expression domain
(Fig. 4A,B). This result is
consistent with our observation that the epidermal expression of SoxN precedes
and is necessary for the expression of svb. However, in stage-16
svb1 mutant embryos, the expression of SoxN was strongly
reduced as compared with wild-type embryos, indicating that svb
function is necessary for the maintenance of SoxN expression
(Fig. 4C,D). Taken together,
our results demonstrate a reciprocal regulatory relationship between SoxN and
svb: SoxN is required for the establishment of the expression of
svb; in turn, svb is necessary to maintain the expression of
SoxN.
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Previous studies have shown that loss of Dichaete results in an aberrant
cuticle pattern (Nambu and Nambu,
1996
). However, these defects mainly reflect the early function of
Dichaete in segmentation rather than a specific function in the regulation of
svb expression. To determine whether Dichaete has a more specific
function in regulating the expression of svb/denticle formation, we
lowered the level of Dichaete function in a SoxN mutant background
(SoxN;Dichaete/+). We observed that this change strongly enhanced the
SoxN mutant phenotype, because denticle formation was nearly
completely abolished (Fig.
5D-F). This indicates that Dichaete has a function in the
regulation of svb expression that is revealed in the absence of
SoxN. This conclusion is supported by the observation that
misexpression of Dichaete in the ventral epidermis results in ectopic denticle
formation (P.M.O. and S. Russell, unpublished results).
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This prompted us to examine whether SoxN and Dichaete might have a function in restricting Wg pathway activity. Due to the function of SoxN and Dichaete in the regulation of svb expression, analysis of the cuticle phenotype, the classic read-out for Wg signaling, does not provide a suitable model. Instead, we analyzed the expression of the en gene, which is positively regulated by Wg signaling. During the embryonic stages 9 and 10, the maintenance of En expression in epithelial stripes requires Wg signaling and the width of the En stripe is a read-out of the strength of Wg signaling. Staining of late-stage-10 SoxN mutant embryos revealed an expansion of the En stripe from the wild-type 2-cell width to a 3- to 4-cell width at the ventral midline (compare Fig. 6A with 6C). This observation demonstrates that, in SoxN mutant embryos, Wg pathway activity is increased. Conversely, misexpression of SoxN (armVP16Gal4-UAS-SoxN) resulted in a partial decay of en expression from stage 10 onwards, indicating a reduction in Wg pathway activity (Fig. 6B). These results show that SoxN negatively regulates Wg pathway activity in the ventral epidermis. To determine whether Dichaete can antagonize Wg pathway activity, we reduced Dichaete function in a SoxN mutant background (SoxN;D/+) and examined late-stage-10 embryos with the anti-En antibody. We observed an expansion of the En stripe from a 3- to 4-cell width in SoxN single mutant embryos to a 5- to 6-cell width in SoxN;D/+ embryos at the ventral midline (Fig. 6D). This result indicates that Dichaete and SoxN have redundant functions in restricting Wg pathway activity.
| DISCUSSION |
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In this study, we demonstrate that the HMG-domain proteins SoxN and Dichaete represent a molecular link between the expression of svb and the upstream Der- and Wg-signaling cascades. We show that SoxN and Dichaete are expressed in the ventral epidermis at the time when epidermal cell fates are specified. The late phase of SoxN and Dichaete expression is stimulated by Der- and repressed by Wg-pathway activity. These regulatory mechanisms result in the expression of SoxN and Dichaete in those six rows of cells within each abdominal segment that differentiate to produce trichomes. SoxN and, to a lesser extent, Dichaete, are necessary and sufficient to activate the expression of svb. Furthermore, our results show that the well-described repression of svb by Wg is due to the repression of SoxN, which, in turn, results in the loss of svb activation. Likewise, the Spi-mediated activation of svb expression relies on the activation of SoxN, which, in turn, activates svb. This indicates that the competition of Der- and Wg-pathway activities for the specification of trichome-producing versus smooth cell fates is resolved at the level of SoxN and Dichaete.
These results do not provide much insight into the issue of how opposing extrinsic information is integrated such that a sharp posterior border of svb expression is achieved. Instead, they raise the question of how is a sharp posterior border of SoxN and Dichaete expression established/maintained? Our findings suggest that this is achieved by a combination of negative- and positive-feedback loops (Fig. 6, cartoon). First, we provide evidence that SoxN and Dichaete negatively regulate Wg pathway activity. This negative-feedback loop provides a likely mechanism for the establishment and maintenance of a sharp posterior border of SoxN and Dichaete expression. The issue arises of how robust this system might be in the face of fluctuating levels of Wg pathway activity. The efficiency with which SoxN and Dichaete restrict Wg pathway activity will crucially rely on the levels of SoxN and Dichaete protein. In this context, it is noteworthy that the levels of SoxN protein, but not Dichaete, are several-fold higher in the two posterior-most rows of the SoxN stripe compared with the anterior four rows (Fig. 1F). The regulatory mechanisms that underlie the different levels of SoxN expression are currently unclear. Second, we provide evidence that the maintenance of SoxN and Dichaete expression is supported by a positive-feedback loop: svb, the expression of which is activated by SoxN and Dichaete, is itself required for the maintenance of SoxN and Dichaete expression (Fig. 6, cartoon). Together, these mechanisms contribute to an invariant read-out of cell identity from opposing Der- and Wg-pathway activities.
In Drosophila, SoxN and Dichaete are necessary and sufficient to
activate the expression of svb, which in turn directly regulates the
expression of genes involved in trichome morphogenesis
(Chanut-Delalande et al. 2006
).
Is a function in hair formation of the Sox proteins conserved in other
species, including vertebrates? A previous study has shown that the mouse Sox9
protein is required for the differentiation of hair-producing epidermal cells
and acts genetically downstream of sonic hedgehog pathway activity
(Vidal et al., 2005
). This
study did not address whether Sox9 regulates the expression of movo1
(Ovol1), the mouse ortholog of svb
(Dai et al., 1998
).
Nevertheless, the demonstrated roles of SoxN, Dichaete and Sox9 raise the
exciting question of do Sox proteins have an essential function in the
activation of an epidermal differentiation program that is conserved across
species as distantly related as mice and flies?
Note added in proof
A study by Chao et al. confirms our observation that SoxN controls Wg
signaling (Chao et al., 2007
).
This study suggests that SoxN does not antagonize Wg signaling by sequestering
armadillo.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| Footnotes |
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