Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026
12:29
Upright Imaging of Drosophila Egg Chambers
Published on: March 13, 2015
Command and control: regulatory pathways controlling invasive behavior of the border cells
1Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 725 North Wolfe Street, 21205-2185, Baltimore, MD, USA. dmontell@jhmi.edu
Mechanisms of Development
|June 29, 2001
Summary
Cancer cell invasiveness mirrors developmental cell migration. Drosophila border cell migration requires C/EBP and ecdysone receptor pathways, revealing steroid hormone regulation of cell motility.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Cancer cell invasiveness shares similarities with normal developmental cell migration.
- Drosophila border cells provide a model system for studying cell invasion during development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the genetic regulatory pathways controlling Drosophila border cell migration.
- To understand the role of transcriptional regulation and hormonal signaling in cell motility.
Main Methods:
- Genetic screening approaches in Drosophila.
- Analysis of gene expression and protein localization (e.g., DE-cadherin, FAK).
- Investigating the function of the slbo gene (Drosophila C/EBP) and the Taiman (TAI) co-activator for the ecdysone receptor.
Main Results:
- Border cell migration requires the integration of at least two transcriptional regulatory pathways: one involving slbo (Drosophila C/EBP) and another involving the ecdysone receptor and Taiman (TAI).
- The C/EBP pathway upregulates motility-related proteins like DE-cadherin and FAK.
- The ecdysone pathway, influenced by nutrition, regulates the localization of C/EBP targets and is crucial for cell migration, as evidenced by migration defects in tai mutants.
Conclusions:
- Drosophila border cell migration is controlled by a differentiation program (C/EBP) and a hormonal signal (ecdysone).
- Steroid hormones can directly regulate cell motility, independent of proliferation.
- These findings offer insights into the metastatic effects of steroid hormones in cancer and the action of antagonists like tamoxifen.
Related Concept Videos
01:09Cell Migration
Cell migration, the process by which cells move from one location to another, is essential for the proper development and viability of organisms throughout their life. When cells are not able to migrate properly to their ordained locations, various disorders may occur. For example, disruption in cell migration causes chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.
01:19Cell Migration
Cell migration is a process by which the cells move from one location to another, playing an essential role in embryological development, repair and regeneration, immune response, and metastasis. Cells migrate in response to chemical or mechanical signals generated by specific organs or tissues. The overall mechanism includes three steps - polarization, protrusion, and release. Polarization involves the formation of a distinct cell front and rear, which determines the direction of movement.
01:35Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia
Invadosome is a broad category of cell surface structures with proteolytic activity that degrades the extracellular matrix (ECM). Invadosomes are present in normal cell types, including macrophages, endothelial cells, and neurons, as well as tumor cells. Although the macrophage podosomes and tumor cell invadopodia are classified as invadosomes, they have different structures, molecular pathways, and functions. Podosomes are short structures that last for a few minutes. However, invadopodia can...
01:21Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins
Cell polarity is the asymmetric distribution of cellular and membrane components, making one side of the cell different from the other. This polarity is essential to many processes such as embryogenesis, axon migration, glucose transport across epithelial cells, and directional cell migration. A migrating cell responds to intracellular or extracellular signals via molecular cascades that reorganize the actin cytoskeleton to establish this polarity. In these cells, the Rho family proteins Cdc42,...
01:21Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration
Cells can detect chemical cues in their environment and reorganize the cytoskeleton to migrate toward them or away from them. This directional migration, called chemotaxis, is essential during embryogenesis and development, immune response, tissue repair and regeneration, and reproduction. These chemical cues can either attract or repel the cell's movement. For example, axon development is determined by a combination of chemoattractants and chemorepellents that direct the growing axon towards...
01:12Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Notch signaling was first discovered in Drosophila melanogaster, where it is involved in cell lineage differentiation. Notch signaling regulates the maintenance and differentiation of intestinal stem cells or ISCs by controlling the expression of atonal homolog 1 or Atoh1. Atoh1 directs cells to differentiate into secretory cells.
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...