JAK/STAT signalling in Drosophila: insights into conserved regulatory and cellular functions
Natalia I Arbouzova1, Martin P Zeidler
1Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
Abstract:
High levels of interspecies conservation characterise all signal transduction cascades and demonstrate the significance of these pathways over evolutionary time. Here, we review advances in the field of JAK/STAT signalling, focusing on recent developments in Drosophila. In particular, recent results from genetic and genome-wide RNAi screens, as well as studies into the developmental roles played by this pathway, highlight striking levels of physical and functional conservation in processes such as cellular proliferation, immune responses and stem cell maintenance. These insights underscore the value of model organisms for improving our understanding of this human disease-relevant pathway.
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