aaquetzalli is required for epithelial cell polarity and neural tissue formation in Drosophila

PeerJ

article

Miguel A. Mendoza-Ortíz¹  Juan M. Murillo-Maldonado¹  Juan R. Riesgo-Escovar¹ 

[1] Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

关键词: Epithelia;    Cell polarity;    Ectoderm;    Embryonic developent;    Neurulation;    Drosophila;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.5042

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Morphogenetic movements during embryogenesis require dynamic changes in epithelial cell polarity and cytoskeletal reorganization. Such changes involve, among others, rearrangements of cell-cell contacts and protein traffic. In Drosophila melanogaster, neuroblast delamination during early neurogenesis is a well-characterized process requiring a polarized neuroepithelium, regulated by the Notch signaling pathway. Maintenance of epithelial cell polarity ensues proper Notch pathway activation during neurogenesis. We characterize here aaquetzalli (aqz), a gene whose mutations affect cell polarity and nervous system specification. The aqz locus encodes a protein that harbors a domain with significant homology to a proline-rich conserved domain of nuclear receptor co-activators. aqz expression occurs at all stages of the fly life cycle, and is dynamic. aqz mutants are lethal, showing a disruption of cell polarity during embryonic ventral neuroepithelium differentiation resulting in loss of epithelial integrity and mislocalization of membrane proteins (shown by mislocalization of Crumbs, DE-Cadherin, and Delta). As a consequence, aqz mutant embryos with compromised apical-basal cell polarity develop spotty changes of neuronal and epithelial numbers of cells.

【 授权许可】

CC BY