title: Curly Encodes Dual Oxidase, Which Acts with Heme Peroxidase Curly Su to Shape the Adult Drosophila Wing.
abstract: Curly, described almost a century ago, is one of the most frequently used markers in Drosophila genetics. Despite this the molecular identity of Curly has remained obscure. Here we show that Curly mutations arise in the gene dual oxidase (duox), which encodes a reactive oxygen species (ROS) generating NADPH oxidase. Using Curly mutations and RNA interference (RNAi), we demonstrate that Duox autonomously stabilizes the wing on the last day of pupal development. Through genetic suppression studies, we identify a novel heme peroxidase, Curly Su (Cysu) that acts with Duox to form the wing. Ultrastructural analysis suggests that Duox and Cysu are required in the wing to bond and adhere the dorsal and ventral cuticle surfaces during its maturation. In Drosophila, Duox is best known for its role in the killing of pathogens by generating bactericidal ROS. Our work adds to a growing number of studies suggesting that Duox's primary function is more structural, helping to form extracellular and cuticle structures in conjunction with peroxidases.
authors.affiliation: HHMI and Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Thomas Ryan
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Hurd
authors.affiliation: HHMI and Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Feng-Xia
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: HHMI and Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine of the Skirball Institute, Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lehmann
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila; D006418:Heme / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010544:Peroxidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D006418:Heme; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D010544:Peroxidases