title: JAK/STAT controls organ size and fate specification by regulating morphogen production and signalling.
abstract: A stable pool of morphogen-producing cells is critical for the development of any organ or tissue. Here we present evidence that JAK/STAT signalling in the Drosophila wing promotes the cycling and survival of Hedgehog-producing cells, thereby allowing the stable localization of the nearby BMP/Dpp-organizing centre in the developing wing appendage. We identify the inhibitor of apoptosis dIAP1 and Cyclin A as two critical genes regulated by JAK/STAT and contributing to the growth of the Hedgehog-expressing cell population. We also unravel an early role of JAK/STAT in guaranteeing Wingless-mediated appendage specification, and a later one in restricting the Dpp-organizing activity to the appendage itself. These results unveil a fundamental role of the conserved JAK/STAT pathway in limb specification and growth by regulating morphogen production and signalling, and a function of pro-survival cues and mitogenic signals in the regulation of the pool of morphogen-producing cells in a developing organ.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac, 10-12, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Carles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Recasens-Alvarez
authors.affiliation: Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac, 10-12, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Baldiri Reixac, 10-12, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.|Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Pg. Lluis Companys, 23, 08011 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Milán
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052004:Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019925:Cyclin A / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D053612:Janus Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D009929:Organ Size; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014921:Wings, Animal / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D051155:Wnt1 Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019925:Cyclin A; C111891:DIAP1 protein, Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051155:Wnt1 Protein; C064196:dpp protein, Drosophila; C074622:wg protein, Drosophila; C077245:hh protein, Drosophila; D053612:Janus Kinases; C085845:hop protein, Drosophila; D052004:Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptors