title: A DPP-mediated feed-forward loop canalizes morphogenesis during Drosophila dorsal closure.
abstract: Development is robust because nature has selected various mechanisms to buffer the deleterious effects of environmental and genetic variations to deliver phenotypic stability. Robustness relies on smart network motifs such as feed-forward loops (FFLs) that ensure the reliable interpretation of developmental signals. In this paper, we show that Decapentaplegic (DPP) and JNK form a coherent FFL that controls the specification and differentiation of leading edge cells during Drosophila melanogaster dorsal closure (DC). We provide molecular evidence that through repression by Brinker (Brk), the DPP branch of the FFL filters unwanted JNK activity. High-throughput live imaging revealed that this DPP/Brk branch is dispensable for DC under normal conditions but is required when embryos are subjected to thermal stress. Our results indicate that the wiring of DPP signaling buffers against environmental challenges and canalizes cell identity. We propose that the main function of DPP pathway during Drosophila DC is to ensure robust morphogenesis, a distinct function from its well-established ability to spread spatial information.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the Cell, UMR5239, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 69007 Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ducuing
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Keeley
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the Cell, UMR5239, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 69007 Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mollereau
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biology of the Cell, UMR5239, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 69007 Lyon, France stephane.vincent11@ens-lyon.fr.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vincent
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D015870:Gene Expression; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D060588:LIM Domain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007814:Larva / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D008868:Microtubule Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009024:Morphogenesis; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D021381:Protein Transport
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C511412:Jupiter protein, Drosophila; D060588:LIM Domain Proteins; D008868:Microtubule Proteins; C526450:Zasp52 protein, Drosophila; C064196:dpp protein, Drosophila; C089785:myosin VI; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains