Integrins Can Act as Suppressors of Ras-Mediated Oncogenesis in the Drosophila Wing Disc Epithelium

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 10, 2025

Induction and Diagnosis of Tumors in Drosophila Imaginal Disc Epithelia
08:14

Induction and Diagnosis of Tumors in Drosophila Imaginal Disc Epithelia

Published on: July 25, 2017

15.0K

Ana Martínez-Abarca Millán1, María D Martín-Bermudo1

  • 1Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, CSIC, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.

Cancers
|November 25, 2023
PubMed

Insights

In Drosophila, betaPS integrins suppress tumors driven by Ras oncogenes. Loss of integrins boosts tumor growth and invasion, suggesting conserved tumor suppressor roles in cancer progression.

Area of Science:

  • * Cell biology
  • * Developmental biology
  • * Cancer research

Background:

  • * Cancer progression involves complex interactions between tumor cells and their microenvironment.
  • * Integrins, crucial for cell-extracellular matrix adhesion, have dual roles in cancer, acting as both promoters and suppressors.
  • * Understanding integrin function in cancer requires investigation in model organisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To investigate the role of betaPS integrins in a Drosophila model of Ras-induced cancer.
  • * To determine if integrins function as tumor suppressors in this model.
  • * To explore the conserved nature of integrin tumor-suppressive functions.

Main Methods:

  • * Utilized the Drosophila wing disc epithelium as a model system.
  • * Induced tumors using a constitutively active form of Ras (Ras12).
  • * Assessed the impact of betaPS integrin depletion on tumor growth, delamination, and invasion.

Main Results:

  • * BetaPS integrins act as tumor suppressors in Drosophila Ras12-induced tumors.
  • * Depletion of betaPS integrins enhanced tumor cell proliferation, delamination, and invasive behavior.
  • * Altered tumor microenvironment interactions were observed upon integrin depletion.

Conclusions:

  • * BetaPS integrins exhibit tumor-suppressive functions in the Drosophila wing disc epithelium.
  • * These findings suggest that integrin tumor-suppressive roles may be evolutionarily conserved across species.
  • * Drosophila serves as a valuable model for dissecting integrin functions in cancer and aiding drug development.
Keywords:
Drosophila integrinscancercell growthinvasion

More Related Videos

The Drosophila Imaginal Disc Tumor Model: Visualization and Quantification of Gene Expression and Tumor Invasiveness Using Genetic Mosaics10:31

The Drosophila Imaginal Disc Tumor Model: Visualization and Quantification of Gene Expression and Tumor Invasiveness Using Genetic Mosaics

Published on: October 6, 2016

11.2K
A Protocol for Genetic Induction and Visualization of Benign and Invasive Tumors in Cephalic Complexes of Drosophila melanogaster07:23

A Protocol for Genetic Induction and Visualization of Benign and Invasive Tumors in Cephalic Complexes of Drosophila melanogaster

Published on: September 11, 2013

9.6K

Related Concept Videos

Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal01:12

Role Of Notch Signalling In Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal

Notch signaling was first discovered in Drosophila melanogaster, where it is involved in cell lineage differentiation. Notch signaling regulates the maintenance and differentiation of intestinal stem cells or ISCs by controlling the expression of atonal homolog 1 or Atoh1. Atoh1 directs cells to differentiate into secretory cells.
Direct cell-to-cell contact is needed for the activation of Notch signaling. The signal is initiated when a notch ligand binds to a receptor on an adjacent cell, also...
2.1K
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway02:54

Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

The gene encoding the main signaling molecules of the Wnt signaling pathways (the Wnt proteins) was discovered almost four decades ago by Nüsslein-Volhard and Wieschaus. They identified and originally named the gene "wingless" (wg) after a phenotype discovered during their landmark genetic screen in Drosophila for body pattern defects. At around the same time, another researcher named Harold Varmus found that a murine tumor virus activates the mammalian wg homolog, Int-1, which...
8.8K
The Retinoblastoma Gene01:20

The Retinoblastoma Gene

Tumor suppressor genes are normal genes that can slow down cell division, repair DNA mistakes, or program the cells for apoptosis in case of irreparable damage. Hence, they play an essential role in preventing the proliferation of damaged cells.
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
4.1K
Activation of Integrins01:15

Activation of Integrins

Integrins bind ligands and transmit information from outside the cell to inside or vice-versa through an "outside-in signaling" or "inside-out signaling."
In "outside-in signaling," external factors in the extracellular space bind to exposed ligand binding sites on integrins. This causes the inactive protein to undergo a conformational change to become active. Integrins are often clustered on the cell membrane. Repetitive and regularly spaced ligand binding...
3.5K
Small GTPases - Ras and Rho01:24

Small GTPases - Ras and Rho

Ras and Rho are small monomeric GTPases that act downstream of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and regulate various cellular processes. These GTPases switch between active and inactive states by binding to guanine nucleotides.
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:
4.0K
Inhibition of Cdk Activity02:34

Inhibition of Cdk Activity

The orderly progression of the cell cycle depends on the activation of Cdk protein by binding to its cyclin partner. However, the cell cycle must be restricted when undergoing abnormal changes. Most cancers correlate to the deregulated cell cycle, and since Cdks are a central component of the cell cycle, Cdk inhibitors are extensively studied to develop anticancer agents. For instance, cyclin D associates with several Cdks, such as Cdk 4/6, to form an active complex. The cyclin D-Cdk4/6 complex...
4.8K