Singling out Drosophila tendon cells: a dialogue between two distinct cell types.
The precise match between somatic muscles and their epidermal attachment cells is achieved through a continuous dialogue between these two cell types. Whereas tendon cells direct myotube migration and final patterning, the muscles are essential for the maintenance of the fate of tendon cells. The Drosophila neuregulin-like ligand, Vein, and its receptor, the epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr), are critical components in the inductive signaling process that takes place between muscles and tendon cells. Additional gene products that relay the Vein-Egfr effect in Drosophila are conserved in the vertebrate neuregulin-mediated cascade. This review describes genetic and molecular aspects of the muscle-tendon inductive processes in Drosophila, and compares them with the relevant mechanisms in the vertebrate embryo.
Volk
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Department of Molecular Genetics, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel. lgvolk@wicc.weizmann.ac.il
D000818:Animals; D002450:Cell Communication; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D009132:Muscles / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology; D020880:Neuregulins / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013710:Tendons / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000196:embryology
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D020880:Neuregulins; C102104:vn protein, Drosophila; D066246:ErbB Receptors