The role of integrins in Drosophila egg chamber morphogenesis


Type
Article
Change log
Authors
Lovegrove, holly E 
Bergstralh, Dan T 
St Johnston, Robert 
Abstract

A Drosophila egg chamber is comprised of a germline cyst surrounded by a tightly-organised epithelial monolayer, the follicular epithelium (FE). Loss of integrin function from the FE disrupts epithelial organisation at egg chamber termini, but the cause of this phenotype remains unclear. Here we show that the -integrin Myospheroid (Mys) is only required during early oogenesis when the pre-follicle cells form the FE. mys mutants disrupt both the formation of a monolayered epithelium at egg chamber termini and the morphogenesis of the stalk between adjacent egg chambers, which develops through the intercalation of two rows of cells into a single-cell wide stalk. Secondary epithelia, like the FE, have been proposed to require adhesion to the basement membrane to polarise. However, Mys is not required for pre-follicle cell polarisation, as both follicle and stalk cells localise polarity factors correctly, despite being mispositioned. Instead, loss of integrins causes pre-follicle cells to basally constrict, detach from the basement membrane and become internalised. Thus, integrin function is dispensable for pre-follicle cell polarity but is required to maintain cellular organisation and cell shape during morphogenesis.

Description
Keywords
Follicle cells, Integrins, Morphogenesis, Mutant clones, Polarity, Pre-follicle cells, Animals, Basement Membrane, Carrier Proteins, Cell Polarity, Drosophila Proteins, Drosophila melanogaster, Female, Integrin beta Chains, Morphogenesis, Ovum
Journal Title
Development
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
0950-1991
1477-9129
Volume Title
146
Publisher
Company of Biologists
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (207496/Z/17/Z)
Wellcome Trust (080007/B/06/Z)
Wellcome Trust (092096/Z/10/Z)
Wellcome Trust (203144/Z/16/Z)
Cancer Research Uk (None)
Cancer Research UK (C6946/A24843)
Wellcome Trust (080007/Z/06/Z)
This work was supported by a Wellcome Trust Principal Fellowship to D.St J. (080007, 207496) and by centre grant support from the Wellcome Trust (092096, 203144) and Cancer Research UK (A14492, A24823). H.E.L. was supported by a Herchel Smith Studentship, University of Cambridge. D.T.B. was supported by a Marie Curie Fellowship (funded by the European Commission) and the Wellcome Trust.