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Updated: Jun 3, 2026
06:12
Imaging Dpp Release from a Drosophila Wing Disc
Published on: October 30, 2019
Dynamics of Dpp signaling and proliferation control
O Wartlick1, P Mumcu, A Kicheva
1Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Geneva University, 30 Quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|March 10, 2011
Summary
Decapentaplegic (Dpp) morphogen gradients control organ development. This study reveals Dpp signaling levels, not position, drive cell division, explaining how growth is position-independent in developing fly wings.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Cell signaling
- Genetics
Background:
- Morphogens establish concentration gradients to pattern developing organs.
- Decapentaplegic (Dpp) gradients in fly imaginal discs control growth.
- Homogeneous spatial growth in imaginal discs poses a challenge to gradient-based patterning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanism by which Dpp gradients control position-independent proliferation in developing fly wings.
- To quantify Dpp concentration and signaling dynamics during wing disc growth.
Main Methods:
- Quantification of Dpp concentration and signaling levels in fly wing discs.
- Analysis of scaling properties of Dpp gradients with tissue size.
- Correlation of cell division timing with Dpp signaling levels.
Main Results:
- Dpp concentration and signaling gradients scale with wing disc size during development.
- Cells divide when Dpp signaling levels increase by approximately 50% on average.
- These findings support a model of growth control based on temporal signaling changes.
Conclusions:
- Cellular proliferation is regulated by temporal dynamics of Dpp signaling, not solely by spatial position within the gradient.
- A scaling morphogen gradient mechanism can generate position-independent growth rates, resolving a key developmental paradox.
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