Mosaic analyses reveal the function of Drosophila Ras in embryonic dorsoventral patterning and dorsal follicle cell morphogenesis.
In Drosophila melanogaster, the Ras signal transduction pathway is the primary effector of receptor tyrosine kinases, which govern diverse developmental programs. During oogenesis, epidermal growth factor receptor signaling through the Ras pathway patterns the somatic follicular epithelium, establishing the dorsoventral asymmetry of eggshell and embryo. Analysis of follicle cell clones homozygous for a null allele of Ras demonstrates that Ras is required cell-autonomously to repress pipe transcription, the critical first step in embryonic dorsoventral patterning. The effects of aberrant pipe expression in Ras mosaic egg chambers can be ameliorated, however, by post-pipe patterning events, which salvage normal dorsoventral polarity in most embryos derived from egg chambers with dorsal Ras clones. The patterned follicular epithelium also determines the final shape of the eggshell, including the dorsal respiratory appendages, which are formed by the migration of two dorsolateral follicle cell populations. Confocal analyses of mosaic egg chambers demonstrate that Ras is required both cell- and non cell-autonomously for morphogenetic behaviors characteristic of dorsal follicle cell migration, and reveal a novel, Ras-dependent pattern of basal E-cadherin localization in dorsal midline follicle cells.
James
Karen E
KE
Program in Genetics, Department of Genome Sciences, Box 357730, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7730, USA.
Dorman
Jennie B
JB
Berg
Celeste A
CA
D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000235:genetics; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D002465:Cell Movement; D048429:Cell Size; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D017344:Genes, Insect; D018773:Genes, erbB-1; D011905:Genes, ras; D008954:Models, Biological; D009030:Mosaicism; D009154:Mutation; D009866:Oogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology; D015238:Sulfotransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
D015820:Cadherins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D015238:Sulfotransferases; C115847:pip protein, Drosophila; D018631:ras Proteins