Spatio-temporal expression of Prospero is finely tuned to allow the correct development and function of the nervous system in Drosophila melanogaster.
Adaptive animal behaviors depend upon the precise development of the nervous system that underlies them. In Drosophila melanogaster, the pan-neural prospero gene (pros), is involved in various aspects of neurogenesis including cell cycle control, axonal outgrowth, neuronal and glial cell differentiation. As these results have been generally obtained with null pros mutants inducing embryonic lethality, the role of pros during later development remains poorly known. Using several pros-Voila (prosV) alleles, that induce multiple developmental and behavioral anomalies in the larva and in adult, we explored the relationship between these phenotypes and the variation of pros expression in 5 different neural regions during pre-imaginal development. We found that the quantity of pros mRNA spliced variants and of Pros protein varied between these alleles in a tissue-specific and developmental way. Moreover, in prosV1 and prosV13 alleles, the respective decrease or increase of pros expression, affected (i) neuronal and glial cell composition, (ii) cell proliferation and death and (iii) axonal-dendritic outgrowth in a stage and cellular context dependant way. The various phenotypic consequences induced during development, related to more or less subtle differences in gene expression, indicate that Pros level needs a precise and specific adjustment in each neural organ to allow its proper function.
Guenin
Laure
L
Unité Mixte de Recherche 5548 Associée au Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Bourgogne, 6, Bd Gabriel, 21 000 Dijon, France.
Grosjean
Yaël
Y
Fraichard
Stéphane
S
Acebes
Angel
A
Baba-Aissa
Fawzia
F
Ferveur
Jean-François
JF
D000818:Animals; D017931:DNA Primers; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology*; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009420:Nervous System / Q000196:embryology*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D017931:DNA Primers; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors; C073099:pros protein, Drosophila