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Updated: May 28, 2026
08:25
Imaging and Analysis of Tissue Orientation and Growth Dynamics in the Developing Drosophila Epithelia During Pupal Stages
Published on: June 2, 2020
Role for a Cindr-Arf6 axis in patterning emerging epithelia.
Ruth I Johnson1, Alanna Sedgwick, Crislyn D'Souza-Schorey
1Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA.
Molecular Biology of the Cell
|October 7, 2011
Summary
Cellular movements in Drosophila eye development depend on an Arf6 regulatory cycle. This cycle links surface receptors to cytoskeletal changes, ensuring precise epithelial organization and function.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Epithelial development involves complex cell movements.
- Arf GTPases regulate actin dynamics and cell shape.
- Adhesion receptors play critical roles in tissue patterning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the Arf6 regulatory cycle in Drosophila pupal eye patterning.
- To elucidate the connection between surface adhesion molecules and Arf6-mediated cell motility.
- To explore the conserved function of Cindr/CD2AP in regulating Arf6 activity.
Main Methods:
- Time-lapse microscopy to observe cell rearrangements.
- Biochemical assays to identify protein complex formation.
- Cell motility assays in mammalian cells.
Main Results:
- dArf6 activity, regulated by specific ArfGAPs and GEFs, drives cellular extensions essential for cell rearrangement.
- Interactions between Neph1/nephrin receptors (Roughest, Hibris) and Cindr are crucial.
- Cindr forms a complex with ArfGAPs, sequestering their activity and regulating local dArf6 function.
- A conserved mechanism involving mammalian CD2AP and Arf6 in cell motility was demonstrated.
Conclusions:
- A model linking surface adhesion (Neph1/nephrin-Cindr) to Arf6 regulation and cytoskeletal dynamics explains precise cell movements in eye development.
- The Cindr/CD2AP-mediated regulation of Arf6 is a conserved mechanism in epithelial morphogenesis.
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