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Updated: Feb 3, 2026
06:41
Removal of Drosophila Muscle Tissue from Larval Fillets for Immunofluorescence Analysis of Sensory Neurons and Epidermal Cells
Published on: November 2, 2016
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EGFR signaling coordinates patterning with cell survival during Drosophila epidermal development
Samuel H Crossman1, Sebastian J Streichan2, Jean-Paul Vincent1
1The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom.
Plos Biology
|November 1, 2018
Summary
Apoptosis in Drosophila embryos isn't due to mis-specified cells. Instead, cell death results from limited prosurvival signals, controlled by developmental patterning and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligand availability.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Death Mechanisms
- Drosophila melanogaster research
Background:
- Apoptosis in patterning mutants suggests elimination of mis-specified cells.
- Previous understanding linked cell death to developmental errors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the precise triggers of apoptosis in Drosophila embryonic epidermis.
- To determine if apoptosis is a response to cell fate mis-specification or other factors.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of apoptosis patterns in wild-type and segmentation mutant Drosophila embryos.
- Examination of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligand expression and signaling.
- Assessing the expression of the proapoptotic gene head involution defective (hid).
Main Results:
- Apoptosis patterns are explained by limited availability of prosurvival signals, not fate mis-specification.
- EGFR ligands, like Spitz (TGFα) and Vein, create undulating signaling patterns.
- Segmentation mutants exhibit gaps in signaling, leading to hid up-regulation and cell death.
Conclusions:
- Cell survival and tissue size are contingent on correct developmental patterning.
- Apoptosis is regulated by the spatial distribution of prosurvival signaling molecules.
- Patterning information dictates the availability of signals that prevent programmed cell death.
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