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Wingless and Notch regulate cell-cycle arrest in the developing Drosophila wing
1Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA. lajohnst@fhcrc.org
Abstract:
In developing organs, the regulation of cell proliferation and patterning of cell fates is coordinated. How this coordination is achieved, however, is unknown. In the developing Drosophila wing, both cell proliferation and patterning require the secreted morphogen Wingless (Wg) at the dorsoventral compartment boundary. Late in wing development, Wg also induces a zone of non-proliferating cells at the dorsoventral boundary. This zone gives rise to sensory bristles of the adult wing margin. Here we investigate how Wg coordinates the cell cycle with patterning by studying the regulation of this growth arrest. We show that Wg, in conjunction with Notch, induces arrest in both the G1 and G2 phases of the cell cycle in separate subdomains of the zone of non-proliferating cells. Wg induces G2 arrest in two subdomains by inducing the proneural genes achaete and scute, which downregulate the mitosis-inducing phosphatase String (Cdc25). Notch activity creates a third domain by preventing arrest at G2 in wg-expressing cells, resulting in their arrest in G1.
Insights
Wingless (Wg) coordinates cell proliferation and patterning in developing Drosophila wings. It induces cell cycle arrest in G1 and G2 phases, regulating sensory bristle formation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Cell cycle regulation
- Drosophila melanogaster research
Background:
- Cell proliferation and fate patterning are coordinated during organ development.
- The secreted morphogen Wingless (Wg) is crucial for cell proliferation and patterning in the Drosophila wing.
- Wg also induces a non-proliferating cell zone for sensory bristle development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how Wingless (Wg) coordinates cell cycle progression with cell fate patterning.
- To elucidate the mechanisms regulating growth arrest in the developing Drosophila wing margin.
Main Methods:
- Studying the regulation of growth arrest in the Drosophila wing.
- Analyzing the roles of Wingless (Wg) and Notch signaling pathways.
- Investigating the expression of proneural genes achaete and scute.
- Examining the regulation of the String (Cdc25) phosphatase.
Main Results:
- Wg and Notch signaling cooperate to induce cell cycle arrest in both G1 and G2 phases.
- Wg induces G2 arrest in specific subdomains by upregulating achaete and scute, which downregulate String (Cdc25).
- Notch signaling prevents G2 arrest in Wg-expressing cells, leading to G1 arrest.
Conclusions:
- Wg and Notch signaling pathways intricately regulate cell cycle arrest during Drosophila wing development.
- Differential cell cycle arrest contributes to the precise patterning of sensory bristles at the wing margin.
- This study reveals a novel mechanism for coordinating growth and patterning through cell cycle control.