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A Dilp8-dependent time window ensures tissue size adjustment in Drosophila
D Blanco-Obregon1, K El Marzkioui1, F Brutscher2
1Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, UPMC Paris-Sorbonne, 26 Rue d'Ulm, 75005, Paris, France.
Nature Communications
|September 27, 2022
Summary
Developmental mechanisms ensure organ size symmetry by buffering random variations. A study in Drosophila reveals that the hormone Dilp8, regulated by ecdysone signaling, is crucial for controlling wing size and bilateral symmetry.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Organ size control relies on precise growth programs but is susceptible to developmental noise, leading to asymmetry between bilateral organs.
- Mechanisms ensuring organ size symmetry are largely unknown, although mutations in the relaxin-like hormone Dilp8 in Drosophila increase wing asymmetry, suggesting its role in noise buffering.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the developmental mechanisms controlling organ size and bilateral symmetry.
- To investigate the role of Dilp8 in buffering developmental noise and ensuring wing size homeostasis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism.
- Analyzed gene expression patterns of dilp8 during wing development.
- Investigated the role of ecdysone signaling in regulating dilp8 expression and its downstream effects on wing primordia.
Main Results:
- Dilp8 expression peaks sharply at the end of juvenile growth, coinciding with wing size adjustment.
- Wing size adjustment involves cross-organ communication, with the epidermis identified as the source of Dilp8.
- Ecdysone signaling triggers epidermal dilp8 expression and acts as a downstream target in wing primordia, establishing a reciprocal hormonal feedback loop.
Conclusions:
- Dilp8 plays a critical role in buffering developmental noise to ensure organ size and bilateral symmetry.
- A reciprocal hormonal feedback loop involving ecdysone signaling and Dilp8 provides a systemic mechanism for organ size control within a specific developmental window.
