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A Micropatterning Assay for Measuring Cell Chirality
Published on: March 11, 2022
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E and ID proteins regulate cell chirality and left-right asymmetric development in Drosophila
Tomoki Ishibashi1, Ryo Hatori1, Reo Maeda2
1Department of Biological Sciences, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan.
Genes to Cells : Devoted to Molecular & Cellular Mechanisms
|January 10, 2019
Summary
The Drosophila extra macrochaetae (emc) gene is crucial for establishing left-right (LR) cell asymmetry, essential for embryonic hindgut development. This gene regulates cell chirality by interacting with Daughterless (Da), impacting organ morphogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Left-right (LR) body asymmetry is a fundamental developmental process.
- Mechanisms of LR asymmetry are well-understood in vertebrates but less so in invertebrates.
- Cell chirality, or intrinsic cellular LR asymmetry, drives LR asymmetric development in the Drosophila embryonic hindgut.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the molecular machinery underlying cell chirality formation in Drosophila.
- To identify genes involved in LR asymmetric morphogenesis of the embryonic hindgut.
Main Methods:
- Genetic analysis in Drosophila melanogaster.
- Investigating the role of the extra macrochaetae (emc) gene.
- Studying the interaction between Emc and E-protein Daughterless (Da).
- Analyzing the regulation of Myosin ID (MyoID) in cell chirality.
Main Results:
- The Drosophila Id homolog, extra macrochaetae (emc), is essential for normal LR asymmetric morphogenesis of the embryonic hindgut.
- Suppression of Daughterless (Da) by wild-type Emc is critical for cell chirality formation.
- Emc-Da regulation acts upstream of or in parallel to Myosin ID (MyoID) in establishing cell chirality.
- Emc-Da pathway regulates cell chirality formation, impacting LR asymmetric development.
Conclusions:
- The Emc-Da pathway is a key regulator of cell chirality in Drosophila embryonic hindgut development.
- Defects in Id-E protein regulation, similar to Emc-Da, may contribute to human diseases involving cell shape abnormalities.
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