title: Jelly belly: a Drosophila LDL receptor repeat-containing signal required for mesoderm migration and differentiation.
abstract: Inductive interactions subdivide the Drosophila mesoderm into visceral, somatic, and heart muscle precursors. The muscle precursors form organs by executing tissue-specific migrations and cell fusions. We identified a novel gene, jelly belly (jeb), which is required for visceral mesoderm development. jeb encodes a secreted protein that contains an LDL receptor repeat. In jeb mutants, visceral mesoderm precursors form, but they fail to migrate or differentiate normally; no visceral muscles develop. Jeb protein is produced in somatic muscle precursors and taken up by visceral muscle precursors. jeb reveals a signaling process in which somatic muscle precursors support the proper migration and differentiation of visceral muscle cells. Later in embryogenesis, jeb is transcribed in neurons and Jeb protein is found in axons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Beckman Center B300, 279 Campus Drive, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. weissjo@ohsu.edu
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Suyama
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Scott
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002465:Cell Movement; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000196:embryology; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004705:Endocytosis; D015870:Gene Expression; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D011973:Receptors, LDL / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D011973:Receptors, LDL; C440828:jeb protein, Drosophila