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dishevelled and armadillo act in the wingless signalling pathway in Drosophila

J Noordermeer1, J Klingensmith, N Perrimon

  • 1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, California.

Nature
|January 6, 1994
PubMed

Insights

Wingless signaling in Drosophila involves segment polarity genes. This study shows wingless acts through dishevelled and armadillo to regulate engrailed gene expression and cuticle development.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Molecular Genetics
  • Cell Signaling

Background:

  • Wnt genes encode secreted proteins crucial for development and cancer.
  • Wnt signal transduction pathways are not fully understood.
  • The Drosophila wingless gene is a well-characterized Wnt family member.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if segment polarity genes mediate the wingless signal.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms of wingless signaling.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a heat-shock inducible wingless transgene.
  • Performed genetic epistasis experiments in Drosophila.
  • Analyzed gene expression and cuticle differentiation.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated that wingless signaling is mediated by segment polarity genes.
  • Showed that wingless acts through dishevelled and armadillo.
  • Confirmed the effect on the homeobox gene engrailed and cuticle differentiation.

Conclusions:

  • Dishevelled and armadillo are key components in the wingless signaling pathway.
  • Wingless signaling regulates downstream gene expression and developmental processes like cuticle formation.

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