Notch and affinity boundaries in Drosophila.
Cells in multicellular organisms often do not intermingle freely with each other. Differential cell affinities can contribute to organizing cells into different tissues. Drosophila limbs and the vertebrate central nervous system are subdivided into compartments. Cells in adjacent compartments do not mix. Cell interactions mediated by Notch-family receptors have been implicated in the specification of these compartment boundaries. Two recent reports analyze the role of the Notch signaling pathway in the generation of an affinity boundary in the Drosophila wing. The first report analyzes the connection between Notch and the actin cytoskeleton. The second report analyzes the differential requirements of Notch and the transcription factor Suppressor of Hairless in generating the affinity boundary.
Herranz
Héctor
H
ICREA and Institut de Recerca Biomedica, Parc Cientific de Barcelona, Josep Samitier, Barcelona, Spain.
Milán
Marco
M
D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009928:Organ Specificity; D051880:Receptors, Notch / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism
D000199:Actins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C497759:N protein, Drosophila; D051880:Receptors, Notch; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C088731:Su(H) protein, Drosophila