spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif ARCHIVE ANNOUNCEMENT! spacer gif
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


spacer gif
     Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search    

The fully linked HTML version of this article has now been published.
Development ePress online publication date 14 Jun 2006
doi: 10.1242/dev.02429

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
dev.02429v1
133/14/2639    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bello, B.
Right arrow Articles by Hirth, F.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Bello, B.
Right arrow Articles by Hirth, F.

Research article

The brain tumor gene negatively regulates neural progenitor cell proliferation in the larval central brain of Drosophila


Bruno Bello, Heinrich Reichert, and Frank Hirth*
* Author for correspondence (e-mail: frank.hirth{at}unibas.ch)

Brain development in Drosophila is characterized by two neurogenic periods, one during embryogenesis and a second during larval life. Although much is known about embryonic neurogenesis, little is known about the genetic control of postembryonic brain development. Here we use mosaic analysis with a repressible cell marker (MARCM) to study the role of the brain tumor (brat) gene in neural proliferation control and tumour suppression in postembryonic brain development of Drosophila. Our findings indicate that overproliferation in brat mutants is due to loss of proliferation control in the larval central brain and not in the optic lobe. Clonal analysis indicates that the brat mutation affects cell proliferation in a cell-autonomous manner and cell cycle marker expression shows that cells of brat mutant clones show uncontrolled proliferation, which persists into adulthood. Analysis of the expression of molecular markers, which characterize cell types in wild-type neural lineages, indicates that brat mutant clones comprise an excessive number of cells, which have molecular features of undifferentiated progenitor cells that lack nuclear Prospero (Pros). pros mutant clones phenocopy brat mutant clones in the larval central brain, and targeted expression of wild-type pros in brat mutant clones promotes cell cycle exit and differentiation of brat mutant cells, thereby abrogating brain tumour formation. Taken together, our results provide evidence that the tumour suppressor brat negatively regulates cell proliferation during larval central brain development of Drosophila, and suggest that Prospero acts as a key downstream effector of brat in cell fate specification and proliferation control.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 DevelopmentHome page
R. Lichtneckert, L. Nobs, and H. Reichert
empty spiracles is required for the development of olfactory projection neuron circuitry in Drosophila
Development, July 15, 2008; 135(14): 2415 - 2424.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 DevelopmentHome page
C. Q. Doe
Neural stem cells: balancing self-renewal with differentiation
Development, May 1, 2008; 135(9): 1575 - 1587.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 GeneticsHome page
M. E. Kaplow, A. H. Korayem, and T. R. Venkatesh
Regulation of Glia Number in Drosophila by Rap/Fzr, an Activator of the Anaphase-Promoting Complex, and Loco, an RGS Protein
Genetics, April 1, 2008; 178(4): 2003 - 2016.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 GeneticsHome page
D. J. Casso, S. Liu, D. D. Iwaki, S. K. Ogden, and T. B. Kornberg
A Screen for Modifiers of Hedgehog Signaling in Drosophila melanogaster Identifies swm and mts
Genetics, March 1, 2008; 178(3): 1399 - 1413.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JCBHome page
W. Chia, W. G. Somers, and H. Wang
Drosophila neuroblast asymmetric divisions: cell cycle regulators, asymmetric protein localization, and tumorigenesis
J. Cell Biol., January 28, 2008; 180(2): 267 - 272.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 DevelopmentHome page
B. Xie, M. Charlton-Perkins, E. McDonald, B. Gebelein, and T. Cook
Senseless functions as a molecular switch for color photoreceptor differentiation in Drosophila
Development, December 1, 2007; 134(23): 4243 - 4253.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 DevelopmentHome page
B. Bello, N. Holbro, and H. Reichert
Polycomb group genes are required for neural stem cell survival in postembryonic neurogenesis of Drosophila
Development, March 15, 2007; 134(6): 1091 - 1099.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Genes Dev.Home page
H. Wang, G. W. Somers, A. Bashirullah, U. Heberlein, F. Yu, and W. Chia
Aurora-A acts as a tumor suppressor and regulates self-renewal of Drosophila neuroblasts
Genes & Dev., December 15, 2006; 20(24): 3453 - 3463.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Genes Dev.Home page
C.-Y. Lee, R. O. Andersen, C. Cabernard, L. Manning, K. D. Tran, M. J. Lanskey, A. Bashirullah, and C. Q. Doe
Drosophila Aurora-A kinase inhibits neuroblast self-renewal by regulating aPKC/Numb cortical polarity and spindle orientation
Genes & Dev., December 15, 2006; 20(24): 3464 - 3474.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2006