title: Gene expression boundary scaling and organ size regulation in the Drosophila embryo.
abstract: How the shape and size of tissues and organs is regulated during development is a major question in developmental biology. Such regulation relies upon both intrinsic cues (such as signaling networks) and extrinsic inputs (such as from neighboring tissues). Here, we focus on pattern formation and organ development during Drosophila embryogenesis. In particular, we outline the importance of both biochemical and mechanical tissue-tissue interactions in size regulation. We describe how the Drosophila embryo can potentially provide novel insights into how shape and size are regulated during development. We focus on gene expression boundary scaling in the early embryo and how size is regulated in three organs (hindgut, trachea, and ventral nerve cord) later in development, with particular focus on the role of tissue-tissue interactions. Overall, we demonstrate that Drosophila embryogenesis provides a suitable model system for studying spatial and temporal scaling and size control in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, T-Lab, #10-01, 5A Engineering Drive 1, 117411, Singapore.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Amourda
authors.affiliation: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, T-Lab, #10-01, 5A Engineering Drive 1, 117411, Singapore.|Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, 117543, Singapore.|Institute Of Molecular and Cell Biology, 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore 138673, Singapore.
authors.forename: Timothy E
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5755-0060
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Saunders
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000502:physiology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Drosophila embryogenesis; morphogen gradients; organogenesis; scaling; tissue-tissue interactions