Selector and signalling molecules cooperate in organ patterning.
Cell signalling is essential for a plethora of inductive interactions during organogenesis. Surprisingly, only a few different classes of signalling molecules mediate many inductive interactions, and these molecules are used reiteratively during development. This raises the question of how generic signals can trigger tissue-specific responses. Recent studies in Drosophila melanogaster indicate that signalling molecules cooperate with selector genes to specify particular body parts and organ types. Selector and signalling inputs are integrated at the level of cis-regulatory elements, where direct binding of both selector proteins and signal transducers is required to activate tissue-specific enhancer elements of target genes. Such enhancers include autoregulatory enhancers of the selector genes themselves, which drive the refinement of expression patterns of selector genes.
Curtiss
Jennifer
J
Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, New York 10029, USA.
Halder
Georg
G
Mlodzik
Marek
M
D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics; D005123:Eye / Q000254:growth & development; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017344:Genes, Insect; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008954:Models, Biological; D011494:Protein Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D018010:Receptors, Invertebrate Peptide / Q000235:genetics; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000254:growth & development; D051155:Wnt1 Protein
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C497759:N protein, Drosophila; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D018010:Receptors, Invertebrate Peptide; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D051155:Wnt1 Protein; C074622:wg protein, Drosophila; D011494:Protein Kinases; C066532:Egfr protein, Drosophila; D066246:ErbB Receptors