Border of Notch activity establishes a boundary between the two dorsal appendage tube cell types

Dev Biol. 2006 Sep 15;297(2):461-70. doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2006.05.021. Epub 2006 May 24.

Abstract

Boundaries establish and maintain separate populations of cells critical for organ formation. We show that Notch signaling establishes the boundary between two types of post-mitotic epithelial cells, the Rhomboid- and the Broad-positive cells. These cells will undergo morphogenetic movements to generate the two sides of a simple organ, the dorsal appendage tube of the Drosophila egg chamber. The boundary forms due to a difference in Notch levels in adjacent cells. The Notch expression pattern mimics the boundary; Notch levels are high in Rhomboid cells and low in Broad cells. Notch(-) mutant clones generate an ectopic boundary: ectopic Rhomboid cells arise in Notch(+) cells adjacent to the Notch(-) mutant cells but not further away from the clonal border. Pangolin, a component of the Wingless pathway, is required for Broad expression and for rhomboid repression. We further show that Broad represses rhomboid cell autonomously. Our data provide a foundation for understanding how a single row of Rhomboid cells arises adjacent to the Broad cells in the dorsal appendage primordia. Generating a boundary by the Notch pathway might constitute an evolutionarily conserved first step during organ formation in many tissues.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Body Patterning
  • Cell Lineage
  • Drosophila
  • Drosophila Proteins / metabolism
  • Drosophila Proteins / physiology
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Mitosis
  • Models, Biological
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / physiology
  • Receptors, Notch / metabolism
  • Receptors, Notch / physiology*
  • Signal Transduction
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Wings, Animal / embryology
  • Wnt1 Protein

Substances

  • Br protein, Drosophila
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Receptors, Notch
  • Rho protein, Drosophila
  • Transcription Factors
  • Wnt1 Protein
  • wg protein, Drosophila