Cellular mechanisms in the development of the Drosophila arista

Epidermal cells of Drosophila form a variety of polarized structures during their differentiation. These polarized structures include epidermal hairs, the shafts of sensory bristles, larval denticles and the arista laterals. The arista is the terminal segment of the antenna and consists of a central core and a series of lateral extensions. Here we describe the cellular mechanisms involved in the development of the arista and the morphogenesis of the laterals. We found that the development of the arista is a complex process that involves coordinated cell shape changes, elongation of the central core, apoptosis, nuclear migration, the formation of polyploid cells and the outgrowth of the laterals. This developmental program is highly conserved in the development of the arista in the housefly (Musca domestica). Altering arista cell number in Drosophila by stimulating or inhibiting apoptosis results in an altered number of laterals. Interestingly, the increased number of laterals that result from the inhibition of apoptosis in Drosophila results in an arista whose morphology is reminiscent of the Musca arista. Previous experiments have shown that both the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons have important functions in the cellular morphogenesis of hairs and bristles. Inhibitor studies reported here show that this is also the case for the formation of the arista laterals, arguing that the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons have similar functions in the morphogenesis of all of these cell types. We conclude that the arista laterals are a valuable complementary cell type system for studying the morphogenesis of polarized cellular extensions in Drosophila.