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Updated: Jul 14, 2026
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Imaging and Analysis of Tissue Orientation and Growth Dynamics in the Developing Drosophila Epithelia During Pupal Stages
Published on: June 2, 2020
Enabled plays key roles in embryonic epithelial morphogenesis in Drosophila
Julie Gates1, James P Mahaffey, Stephen L Rogers
1Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Development (Cambridge, England)
|May 18, 2007
Summary
Enabled/VASP proteins are crucial actin regulators. Removing Ena/VASP function in Drosophila revealed its essential role in specific embryonic morphogenetic events, impacting cell migration and tissue zippering.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Enabled/VASP (Ena/VASP) proteins are actin regulators influencing cell migration and adhesion.
- Previous studies were limited by functional redundancy, hindering the understanding of Ena/VASP roles in embryonic development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the essential roles of Ena/VASP proteins in Drosophila embryonic morphogenesis.
- To elucidate the mechanisms by which Ena/VASP proteins regulate actin dynamics during development.
Main Methods:
- Utilized genetic approaches to eliminate maternal and zygotic Ena function in Drosophila.
- Analyzed morphogenetic events, including germband retraction, segmental groove retraction, head involution, and dorsal closure.
- Examined filopodial dynamics in cultured cells and whole embryos.
Main Results:
- Ena inactivation did not affect cell adhesion or epithelial organization, indicating cell-type-specific functions.
- Ena is essential for specific morphogenetic movements like germband and segmental groove retraction, and head involution.
- Ena modulates filopodial length and number, influencing the speed and accuracy of epithelial zippering during dorsal closure.
Conclusions:
- Ena/VASP proteins play critical, context-dependent roles in embryonic morphogenesis.
- Ena/VASP proteins regulate actin dynamics to control cell behaviors essential for tissue development.
- This study provides new insights into the developmental and mechanistic functions of Ena/VASP proteins as actin regulators.
