Dfrizzled-3, a new Drosophila Wnt receptor, acting as an attenuator of Wingless signaling in wingless hypomorphic mutants.
In Drosophila, two Frizzled proteins, Frizzled and Dfrizzled-2, have been reported to serve as receptors of Wingless. Here, we identified the third member of the Drosophila Frizzled family (Dfrizzled-3). In contrast to Dfrizzled-2, Dfrizzled-3 was transcriptionally upregulated by Wingless signaling. Although Dfrizzled-3 was capable of binding to Wingless in vitro, Wingless-dependent Armadillo/beta -catenin stabilization occurred much less effectively in Drosophila cells transfected with Dfrizzled-3 than in those with Dfrizzled-2. Flies lacking Dfrizzled-3 activity were viable and fertile, with few morphological defects. Genetic and immunochemical analysis indicated that the absence of Dfrizzled-3 activity suppresses the effects of hypomorphic wingless mutations such as failure of wing and antenna formation and restores target gene expression to the normal levels without change in wingless expression. Wingless signaling may thus be attenuated by Dfrizzled-3 at least in wingless hypomorphic mutants.
Sato
A
A
Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan.
Kojima
T
T
Ui-Tei
K
K
Miyata
Y
Y
Saigo
K
K
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000235:genetics; D051157:Frizzled Receptors; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017344:Genes, Insect; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013045:Species Specificity; D014162:Transfection; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000254:growth & development; D051155:Wnt1 Protein
D017931:DNA Primers; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D051157:Frizzled Receptors; D019476:Insect Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D051155:Wnt1 Protein; C058784:fz protein, Drosophila; C400046:fz3 protein, Drosophila; C074622:wg protein, Drosophila