title: The Hydra FGFR, Kringelchen, partially replaces the Drosophila Heartless FGFR.
abstract: Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR) are highly conserved receptor tyrosine kinases, and evolved early in metazoan evolution. In order to investigate their functional conservation, we asked whether the Kringelchen FGFR in the freshwater polyp Hydra vulgaris, is able to functionally replace FGFR in fly embryos. In Drosophila, two endogenous FGFR, Breathless (Btl) and Heartless (Htl), ensure formation of the tracheal system and mesodermal cell migration as well as formation of the heart. Using UAS-kringelchen-5xmyc transgenic flies and targeted expression, we show that Kringelchen is integrated correctly into the cell membrane of mesodermal and tracheal cells in Drosophila. Nevertheless, Kringelchen expression driven in tracheal cells failed to rescue the btl (LG19) mutant. The Hydra FGFR was able to substitute for Heartless in the htl (AB42) null mutant; however, this occurred only during early mesodermal cell migration. Our data provide evidence for functional conservation of this early-diverged FGFR across these distantly related phyla, but also selectivity for the Htl FGFR in the Drosophila system.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Biology, Morphology and Evolution of Invertebrates, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Str. 8, 35032, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rudolf
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hübinger
authors.forename: Katrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hüsken
authors.forename: Angelika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vogt
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rebscher
authors.forename: Susanne-Filiz
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Onel
authors.forename: Renate
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Renkawitz-Pohl
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hassel
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006829:Hydra / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010802:Phylogeny; D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor