title: Intercellular protein movement in syncytial Drosophila follicle cells.
abstract: Ring canals connecting Drosophila germline, follicle and imaginal disc cells provide direct contact of cytoplasm between cells. To date, little is known about the formation, structure, or function of the somatic ring canals present in follicle and imaginal disc cells. Here, we show by confocal and electron microscopy that Pavarotti kinesin-like protein and Visgun are stable components of somatic ring canals. Using live-cell confocal microscopy, we show that somatic ring canals form from the stabilization of mitotic cleavage furrows. In contrast to germline cells, syncytial follicle cells do not divide synchronously, are not maximally branched and their ring canals do not increase in size during egg chamber development. We show for the first time that somatic ring canals permit exchange of cytoplasmic proteins between follicle cells. These results provide insight into the composition and function of ring canals in somatic cells, implying a broader functional significance for syncytial organization of cells outside the germline.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St., New Haven, CT 06520,  USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Airoldi
authors.forename: Peter F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: McLean
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cooley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015726:Giant Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D060227:Imaginal Discs / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009866:Oogenesis; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D021381:Protein Transport; D019076:Transgenes
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins