title: A Gap Junction Protein, Inx2, Modulates Calcium Flux to Specify Border Cell Fate during Drosophila oogenesis.
abstract: Intercellular communication mediated by gap junction (GJ) proteins is indispensable during embryogenesis, tissue regeneration and wound healing. Here we report functional analysis of a gap junction protein, Innexin 2 (Inx2), in cell type specification during Drosophila oogenesis. Our data reveal a novel involvement of Inx2 in the specification of Border Cells (BCs), a migratory cell type, whose identity is determined by the cell autonomous STAT activity. We show that Inx2 influences BC fate specification by modulating STAT activity via Domeless receptor endocytosis. Furthermore, detailed experimental analysis has uncovered that Inx2 also regulates a calcium flux that transmits across the follicle cells. We propose that Inx2 mediated calcium flux in the follicle cells stimulates endocytosis by altering Dynamin (Shibire) distribution which is in turn critical for careful calibration of STAT activation and, thus for BC specification. Together our data provide unprecedented molecular insights into how gap junction proteins can regulate cell-type specification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Kolkata Mohanpur Campus Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Aresh
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8673-9807
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sahu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Kolkata Mohanpur Campus Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Ritabrata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States of America.|Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Pune. Pune Maharashtra, India.
authors.forename: Girish
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Deshpande
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Kolkata Mohanpur Campus Mohanpur, Nadia, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Mohit
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3254-0541
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prasad
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D017630:Connexins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D034281:Dynamins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004705:Endocytosis; D005260:Female; D009866:Oogenesis; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017630:Connexins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin; D050791:STAT Transcription Factors; C444499:dome protein, Drosophila; C120024:inx2 protein, Drosophila; D034281:Dynamins; C439628:shi protein, Drosophila; D002118:Calcium