title: Monitoring cell-cell contacts in vivo in transgenic animals.
abstract: We used a synthetic genetic system based on ligand-induced intramembrane proteolysis to monitor cell-cell contacts in animals. Upon ligand-receptor interaction in sites of cell-cell contact, the transmembrane domain of an engineered receptor is cleaved by intramembrane proteolysis and releases a protein fragment that regulates transcription in the interacting partners. We demonstrate that the system can be used to regulate gene expression between interacting cells, both in vitro and in vivo, in transgenic Drosophila We show that the system allows for detection of interactions between neurons and glia in the Drosophila nervous system. In addition, we observed that when the ligand is expressed in subsets of neurons with a restricted localization in the brain it leads to activation of transcription in a selected set of glial cells that interact with those neurons. This system will be useful to monitor cell-cell interactions in animals, and can be used to genetically manipulate cells that interact with one another.
authors.affiliation: California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Beckman Institute MC 139-74, 1200 East California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.|Department of Neurobiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA.
authors.forename: Ting-Hao
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Beckman Institute MC 139-74, 1200 East California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.|Brain Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN 59056-450, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tarciso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Velho
authors.affiliation: California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Beckman Institute MC 139-74, 1200 East California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA clois@caltech.edu.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7305-2317
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lois
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D016466:CHO Cells; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000235:genetics*; D058948:Cell Tracking / Q000379:methods*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D004330:Drosophila / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051379:Mice; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D011485:Protein Binding
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins
keywords: Adhesion; Cell communication; Development; Interacting cells; Morphogenesis