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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 4, 2026

Dissection and Immunostaining of Imaginal Discs from Drosophila melanogaster

Dissection and Immunostaining of Imaginal Discs from Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: September 20, 2014

Formation of the long range Dpp morphogen gradient.

Gerald Schwank¹, Sascha Dalessi, Schu-Fee Yang

¹Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Switzerland.

|August 5, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The Decapentaplegic (Dpp) gradient in Drosophila wings forms via restricted extracellular diffusion, not receptor-mediated transcytosis. Dpp primarily disperses unbound, challenging previous models.

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Imaging Dpp Release from a Drosophila Wing Disc

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Last Updated: May 4, 2026

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Imaging Dpp Release from a Drosophila Wing Disc

Imaging Dpp Release from a Drosophila Wing Disc

Published on: October 30, 2019

Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Cell Signaling
Genetics

Background:

Decapentaplegic (Dpp), a TGF-β homolog, forms concentration gradients crucial for Drosophila wing development.
The precise mechanism of Dpp gradient formation is debated, with two main models: receptor-mediated transcytosis (RMT) and restricted extracellular diffusion (RED).

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the roles of Dpp receptors in gradient formation.
To experimentally differentiate between the RMT and RED models for Dpp dispersal.

Main Methods:

Quantitative mathematical modeling of Dpp transport under RMT and RED scenarios.
Experimental analysis of Dpp gradients in Drosophila wing discs using gain-of-function and loss-of-function receptor mutant clones.

Main Results:

Gain-of-function studies showed Dpp binds strongly to the type I receptor Thick veins (Tkv) but not the type II receptor Punt.
Loss-of-function studies refuted the RMT model, indicating the majority of Dpp is not bound to Tkv, supporting the RED model.

Conclusions:

Receptor-mediated transcytosis is not the primary mechanism for Dpp gradient formation.
Restricted extracellular diffusion, where most Dpp remains unbound, is the dominant mechanism for Dpp dispersal, facilitating long-range signaling.