title: Drosophila Ten-m and filamin affect motor neuron growth cone guidance.
abstract: The Drosophila Ten-m (also called Tenascin-major, or odd Oz (odz)) gene has been associated with a pair-rule phenotype. We identified and characterized new alleles of Drosophila Ten-m to establish that this gene is not responsible for segmentation defects but rather causes defects in motor neuron axon routing. In Ten-m mutants the inter-segmental nerve (ISN) often crosses segment boundaries and fasciculates with the ISN in the adjacent segment. Ten-m is expressed in the central nervous system and epidermal stripes during the stages when the growth cones of the neurons that form the ISN navigate to their targets. Over-expression of Ten-m in epidermal cells also leads to ISN misrouting. We also found that Filamin, an actin binding protein, physically interacts with the Ten-m protein. Mutations in cheerio, which encodes Filamin, cause defects in motor neuron axon routing like those of Ten-m. During embryonic development, the expression of Filamin and Ten-m partially overlap in ectodermal cells. These results suggest that Ten-m and Filamin in epidermal cells might together influence growth cone progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, United States of America.
authors.forename: Lihua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Yehudit
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Michelson
authors.forename: Vita
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Freger
authors.forename: Ziva
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Avraham
authors.forename: Koen J T
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Venken
authors.forename: Hugo J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Bellen
authors.forename: Monica J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Justice
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wides
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000235:genetics; D003285:Contractile Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D064448:Filamins; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020439:Growth Cones / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D011485:Protein Binding; D019063:Tenascin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques
chemical_list: D003285:Contractile Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D064448:Filamins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; C089140:Ten-m protein, Drosophila; D019063:Tenascin; C578664:cher protein, Drosophila; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins