The control of EGF signaling and cell fate in the Drosophila abdomen.
How cells integrate both patterning and signaling information to select between distinct cell fates is a fundamental problem in developmental biology. In this short review, I focus on recent findings of how the Hox and senseless patterning genes regulate epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling and cell fate within the Drosophila abdomen. In Li-Kroeger et al., we described how a Hox and Senseless transcription factor competition functions as a molecular switch on a cis-regulatory element in the rhomboid (rho) gene to control EGF signaling within the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Here, I discuss an additional implication of these findings: that rho contains at least two cis-regulatory elements to control EGF secretion from the PNS, each to induce a different cell fate.
Gebelein
Brian
B
Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229, USA. brian.gebelein@cchmc.org
D000005:Abdomen / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000502:physiology; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000502:physiology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics
D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C413162:sens protein, Drosophila; C066591:abd-A protein, Drosophila; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor