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1.
Nanotechnology ; 24(28): 285101, 2013 Jul 19.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23787695

RESUMEN

Engineered nanoparticles have been under increasing scrutiny in recent years. High aspect ratio nanoparticles such as carbon nanotubes and nanowires have raised safety concerns due to their geometrical similarity to asbestos fibers. III-V epitaxial semiconductor nanowires are expected to be utilized in devices such as LEDs and solar cells and will thus be available to the public. In addition, clean-room staff fabricating and characterizing the nanowires are at risk of exposure, emphasizing the importance of investigating their possible toxicity. Here we investigated the effects of gallium phosphide nanowires on the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Drosophila larvae and/or adults were exposed to gallium phosphide nanowires by ingestion with food. The toxicity and tissue interaction of the nanowires was evaluated by investigating tissue distribution, activation of immune response, genome-wide gene expression, life span, fecundity and somatic mutation rates. Our results show that gallium phosphide nanowires applied through the diet are not taken up into Drosophila tissues, do not elicit a measurable immune response or changes in genome-wide gene expression and do not significantly affect life span or somatic mutation rate.


Asunto(s)
Drosophila melanogaster/efectos de los fármacos , Galio/toxicidad , Nanocables/toxicidad , Fosfinas/toxicidad , Administración Oral , Animales , Drosophila melanogaster/fisiología , Ingestión de Alimentos , Fertilidad/efectos de los fármacos , Galio/administración & dosificación , Regulación de la Expresión Génica/efectos de los fármacos , Proteínas de Insectos/genética , Proteínas de Insectos/metabolismo , Larva/citología , Larva/efectos de los fármacos , Larva/fisiología , Longevidad/efectos de los fármacos , Mutación/efectos de los fármacos , Nanocables/administración & dosificación , Neoplasias/inducido químicamente , Análisis de Secuencia por Matrices de Oligonucleótidos , Fosfinas/administración & dosificación , ARN/análisis , ARN/metabolismo
2.
PLoS One ; 6(9): e23964, 2011.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21949688

RESUMEN

Coordination of apical constriction in epithelial sheets is a fundamental process during embryogenesis. Here, we show that DRhoGEF2 is a key regulator of apical pulsation and constriction of amnioserosal cells during Drosophila dorsal closure. Amnioserosal cells mutant for DRhoGEF2 exhibit a consistent decrease in amnioserosa pulsations whereas overexpression of DRhoGEF2 in this tissue leads to an increase in the contraction time of pulsations. We probed the physical properties of the amnioserosa to show that the average tension in DRhoGEF2 mutant cells is lower than wild-type and that overexpression of DRhoGEF2 results in a tissue that is more solid-like than wild-type. We also observe that in the DRhoGEF2 overexpressing cells there is a dramatic increase of apical actomyosin coalescence that can contribute to the generation of more contractile forces, leading to amnioserosal cells with smaller apical surface than wild-type. Conversely, in DRhoGEF2 mutants, the apical actomyosin coalescence is impaired. These results identify DRhoGEF2 as an upstream regulator of the actomyosin contractile machinery that drives amnioserosa cells pulsations and apical constriction.


Asunto(s)
Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Drosophila melanogaster/metabolismo , Embrión no Mamífero/metabolismo , Proteínas de Unión al GTP rho/metabolismo , Actomiosina/metabolismo , Animales , Animales Modificados Genéticamente , Tipificación del Cuerpo/genética , Tipificación del Cuerpo/fisiología , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular , Forma de la Célula/genética , Forma de la Célula/fisiología , Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Drosophila melanogaster/embriología , Drosophila melanogaster/genética , Embrión no Mamífero/citología , Embrión no Mamífero/embriología , Proteínas Fluorescentes Verdes/genética , Proteínas Fluorescentes Verdes/metabolismo , Microscopía Confocal , Mutación , Grabación de Cinta de Video , Proteínas de Unión al GTP rho/genética
3.
Small GTPases ; 1(1): 28-43, 2010 Jul.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21686118

RESUMEN

The development of multicellular organisms is associated with extensive rearrangements of tissues and cell sheets. The driving force for these rearrangements is generated mostly by the actin cytoskeleton. In order to permit the reproducible development of a specific body plan, dynamic reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton must be precisely coordinated in space and time. GTP-exchange factors that activate small GTPases of the Rho family play an important role in this process. Here we review the role of this class of cytoskeletal regulators during important developmental processes such as epithelial morphogenesis, cytokinesis, cell migration, cell polarity, neuronal growth cone extension and phagocytosis in different model systems.

4.
Development ; 136(23): 3875-80, 2009 Dec.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-19906854

RESUMEN

The formation of segmental grooves during mid embryogenesis in the Drosophila epidermis depends on the specification of a single row of groove cells posteriorly adjacent to cells that express the Hedgehog signal. However, the mechanism of groove formation and the role of the parasegmental organizer, which consists of adjacent rows of hedgehog- and wingless-expressing cells, are not well understood. We report that although groove cells originate from a population of Odd skipped-expressing cells, this pair-rule transcription factor is not required for their specification. We further find that Hedgehog is sufficient to specify groove fate in cells of different origin as late as stage 10, suggesting that Hedgehog induces groove cell fate rather than maintaining a pre-established state. Wingless activity is continuously required in the posterior part of parasegments to antagonize segmental groove formation. Our data support an instructive role for the Wingless/Hedgehog organizer in cellular patterning.


Asunto(s)
Tipificación del Cuerpo/genética , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/genética , Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Drosophila/genética , Drosophila/metabolismo , Epidermis/metabolismo , Proteínas Hedgehog/genética , Factores de Transcripción/genética , Animales , Drosophila/embriología , Drosophila/ultraestructura , Embrión no Mamífero/metabolismo , Embrión no Mamífero/ultraestructura , Epidermis/ultraestructura , Inmunohistoquímica
5.
Mol Biol Cell ; 19(5): 1883-92, 2008 May.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-18287521

RESUMEN

Morphogenesis of the Drosophila embryo is associated with dynamic rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton mediated by small GTPases of the Rho family. These GTPases act as molecular switches that are activated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors. One of these factors, DRhoGEF2, plays an important role in the constriction of actin filaments during pole cell formation, blastoderm cellularization, and invagination of the germ layers. Here, we show that DRhoGEF2 is equally important during morphogenesis of segmental grooves, which become apparent as tissue infoldings during mid-embryogenesis. Examination of DRhoGEF2-mutant embryos indicates a role for DRhoGEF2 in the control of cell shape changes during segmental groove morphogenesis. Overexpression of DRhoGEF2 in the ectoderm recruits myosin II to the cell cortex and induces cell contraction. At groove regression, DRhoGEF2 is enriched in cells posterior to the groove that undergo apical constriction, indicating that groove regression is an active process. We further show that the Formin Diaphanous is required for groove formation and strengthens cell junctions in the epidermis. Morphological analysis suggests that Dia regulates cell shape in a way distinct from DRhoGEF2. We propose that DRhoGEF2 acts through Rho1 to regulate acto-myosin constriction but not Diaphanous-mediated F-actin nucleation during segmental groove morphogenesis.


Asunto(s)
Tipificación del Cuerpo , Proteínas Portadoras/metabolismo , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Drosophila melanogaster/embriología , Drosophila melanogaster/fisiología , Embrión no Mamífero/embriología , Contracción Muscular/fisiología , Proteínas de Unión al GTP rho/metabolismo , Actinas/metabolismo , Actomiosina/metabolismo , Animales , Adhesión Celular , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular , Forma de la Célula , Drosophila melanogaster/citología , Drosophila melanogaster/ultraestructura , Embrión no Mamífero/citología , Embrión no Mamífero/ultraestructura , Células Epidérmicas , Epidermis/ultraestructura , Forminas , Miosina Tipo II/metabolismo , Transporte de Proteínas
6.
FEBS Lett ; 580(22): 5406-10, 2006 Oct 02.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16996061

RESUMEN

The Drosophila melanogaster Toll receptor controls embryonic dorsal-ventral axis formation and is crucial for the innate immune response. In both cases, Toll is activated by the enzymatically cleaved form of its ligand Spätzle (Spz). During axis formation, Spz is cleaved by the maternally provided serine protease Easter while the Spätzle-processing enzyme (SPE) activates Spz after infection. We confirm the role of SPE in immunity and show that it is a zygotic gene specifically expressed in immune tissues implying that the dual activation of Spz is achieved by differential spatiotemporal expression of two similar but distinct serine proteases.


Asunto(s)
Proteínas de Drosophila/biosíntesis , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Cuerpo Adiposo/embriología , Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica/fisiología , Regulación Enzimológica de la Expresión Génica/fisiología , Organogénesis/fisiología , Serina Endopeptidasas/biosíntesis , Receptores Toll-Like/biosíntesis , Animales , Proteínas de Drosophila/inmunología , Drosophila melanogaster , Cuerpo Adiposo/citología , Cuerpo Adiposo/inmunología , Serina Endopeptidasas/inmunología , Receptores Toll-Like/inmunología
7.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun ; 338(2): 1075-82, 2005 Dec 16.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16256951

RESUMEN

Serine proteases play a central role in defense against pathogens by regulating processes such as blood clotting, melanization of injured surfaces, and proteolytic activation of signaling pathways involved in innate immunity. Here, we present the functional characterization of the Drosophila serine protease Sp7 (CG3006) by inducible RNA interference. We show that Sp7 is constitutively expressed in blood cells during embryonic and larval stages. Silencing of the gene impairs the melanization reaction upon injury. Our data demonstrate that Sp7 is required for phenoloxidase activation and its activity is restricted to a subclass of blood cells, the crystal cells. Transcriptional up-regulation of Sp7 was observed after clean, septic injury and in flies expressing an activated form of Toll; however, mutations in the Toll or the IMD pathway did not abolish expression of Sp7, indicating the existence of other regulatory pathways and/or independent basal transcription.


Asunto(s)
Células Sanguíneas/enzimología , Células Sanguíneas/inmunología , Carboxipeptidasas/sangre , Carboxipeptidasas/inmunología , Proteínas de Drosophila/sangre , Proteínas de Drosophila/inmunología , Drosophila/enzimología , Drosophila/inmunología , Melaninas/inmunología , Sepsis/enzimología , Sepsis/inmunología , Animales , Regulación de la Expresión Génica/inmunología , Hemolinfa/inmunología , Hemolinfa/metabolismo , Inmunidad Innata/inmunología , Factores Inmunológicos/inmunología , Serina Endopeptidasas
8.
Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol ; 6(7): 530-41, 2005 Jul.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16072037

RESUMEN

Pattern formation during development is controlled to a great extent by a small number of conserved signal transduction pathways that are activated by extracellular ligands such as Hedgehog, Wingless or Decapentaplegic. Genetic experiments have identified heparan sulphate proteoglycans (HSPGs) as important regulators of the tissue distribution of these extracellular signalling molecules. Several recent reports provide important new insights into the mechanisms by which HSPGs function during development.


Asunto(s)
Regulación de la Expresión Génica , Proteoglicanos de Heparán Sulfato/fisiología , Animales , Glicosaminoglicanos/biosíntesis , Proteoglicanos de Heparán Sulfato/genética , Humanos , Mutación , Transducción de Señal
9.
J Cell Biol ; 168(4): 575-85, 2005 Feb 14.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-15699213

RESUMEN

Morphogenesis of the Drosophila melanogaster embryo is associated with a dynamic reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton that is mediated by small GTPases of the Rho family. Often, Rho1 controls different aspects of cytoskeletal function in parallel, requiring a complex level of regulation. We show that the guanine triphosphate (GTP) exchange factor DRhoGEF2 is apically localized in epithelial cells throughout embryogenesis. We demonstrate that DRhoGEF2, which has previously been shown to regulate cell shape changes during gastrulation, recruits Rho1 to actin rings and regulates actin distribution and actomyosin contractility during nuclear divisions, pole cell formation, and cellularization of syncytial blastoderm embryos. We propose that DRhoGEF2 activity coordinates contractile actomyosin forces throughout morphogenesis in Drosophila by regulating the association of myosin with actin to form contractile cables. Our results support the hypothesis that specific aspects of Rho1 function are regulated by specific GTP exchange factors.


Asunto(s)
Actinas/metabolismo , Blastodermo/citología , Citoesqueleto/fisiología , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Desarrollo Embrionario/fisiología , Proteínas de Unión al GTP rho/metabolismo , Actomiosina/fisiología , Animales , Blastodermo/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular , División Celular/fisiología , Polaridad Celular/fisiología , Forma de la Célula/fisiología , Drosophila melanogaster/embriología , Drosophila melanogaster/genética , Drosophila melanogaster/metabolismo , Embrión no Mamífero/citología , Embrión no Mamífero/metabolismo , Proteínas de Microfilamentos/metabolismo , Mutación/genética
10.
Curr Biol ; 14(22): 2019-24, 2004 Nov 23.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-15556864

RESUMEN

Mps1 kinase plays an evolutionary conserved role in the mitotic spindle checkpoint. This system precludes anaphase onset until all chromosomes have successfully attached to spindle microtubules via their kinetochores. Mps1 overexpression in budding yeast is sufficient to trigger a mitotic arrest, which is dependent on the other mitotic checkpoint components, Bub1, Bub3, Mad1, Mad2, and Mad3. Therefore, Mps1 might act at the top of the mitotic checkpoint cascade. Moreover, in contrast to the other mitotic checkpoint components, Mps1 is essential for spindle pole body duplication in budding yeast. Centrosome duplication in mammalian cells might also be controlled by Mps1 , but the fission yeast homolog is not required for spindle pole body duplication. Our phenotypic characterizations of Mps1 mutant embryos in Drosophila do not reveal an involvement in centrosome duplication, while the mitotic spindle checkpoint is defective in these mutants. In addition, our analyses reveal novel functions. We demonstrate that Mps1 is also required for the arrest of cell cycle progression in response to hypoxia. Finally, we show that Mps1 and the mitotic spindle checkpoint are responsible for the developmental cell cycle arrest of the three haploid products of female meiosis that are not used as the female pronucleus.


Asunto(s)
Ciclo Celular/fisiología , Drosophila/embriología , Mitosis/fisiología , Oxígeno/metabolismo , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinasas/fisiología , Huso Acromático/metabolismo , Animales , Ciclina B/metabolismo , Cartilla de ADN , Drosophila/metabolismo , Proteínas de Drosophila , Técnica del Anticuerpo Fluorescente , Componentes del Gen , Mutación , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinasas/genética , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinasas/metabolismo , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa de Transcriptasa Inversa
11.
Curr Biol ; 14(20): 1827-33, 2004 Oct 26.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-15498490

RESUMEN

Members of the Rho/Rac/Cdc42 superfamily of GTPases and their upstream activators, guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) , have emerged as key regulators of actin and microtubule dynamics. In their GTP bound form, these proteins interact with downstream effector molecules that alter actin and microtubule behavior. During Drosophila embryogenesis, a Galpha subunit (Concertina) and a Rho-type guanine nucleotide exchange factor (DRhoGEF2) have been implicated in the dramatic epithelial-cell shape changes that occur during gastrulation and morphogenesis . Using Drosophila S2 cells as a model system, we show that DRhoGEF2 induces contractile cell shape changes by stimulating myosin II via the Rho1 pathway. Unexpectedly, we found that DRhoGEF2 travels to the cell cortex on the tips of growing microtubules by interaction with the microtubule plus-end tracking protein EB1. The upstream activator Concertina, in its GTP but not GDP bound form, dissociates DRhoGEF2 from microtubule tips and also causes cellular contraction. We propose that DRhoGEF2 uses microtubule dynamics to search for cortical subdomains of receptor-mediated Galpha activation, which in turn causes localized actomyosin contraction associated with morphogenetic movements during development.


Asunto(s)
Forma de la Célula/fisiología , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Subunidades alfa de la Proteína de Unión al GTP/metabolismo , Gástrula/metabolismo , Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica , Microtúbulos/metabolismo , Proteínas de Unión al GTP rho/metabolismo , Animales , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular , Línea Celular , Cartilla de ADN , Drosophila/embriología , Epitelio/embriología , Epitelio/metabolismo , Proteínas Fluorescentes Verdes , Microscopía Confocal , Microscopía Fluorescente , Proteínas Asociadas a Microtúbulos/metabolismo , Modelos Biológicos , Miosina Tipo II/metabolismo , Plásmidos/genética , Interferencia de ARN , Transducción de Señal/fisiología
13.
EMBO J ; 22(14): 3635-44, 2003 Jul 15.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-12853478

RESUMEN

Sulfation of all macromolecules entering the secretory pathway in higher organisms occurs in the Golgi and requires the high-energy sulfate donor adenosine 3'-phosphate 5'-phosphosulfate. Here we report the first molecular identification of a gene that encodes a transmembrane protein required to transport adenosine 3'-phosphate 5'-phosphosulfate from the cytosol into the Golgi lumen. Mutations in this gene, which we call slalom, display defects in Wg and Hh signaling, which are likely due to the lack of sulfation of glycosaminoglycans by the sulfotransferase sulfateless. Analysis of mosaic mutant ovaries shows that sll function is also essential for dorsal-ventral axis determination, suggesting that sll transports the sulfate donor required for sulfotransferase activity of the dorsal-ventral determinant pipe.


Asunto(s)
Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Drosophila/embriología , Drosophila/genética , Genes de Insecto , Proteínas de Transporte de Membrana/genética , Proteínas de Transporte de Membrana/metabolismo , Fosfoadenosina Fosfosulfato/metabolismo , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Animales , Transporte Biológico , Tipificación del Cuerpo/genética , Citosol/metabolismo , Proteínas de Drosophila/química , Femenino , Expresión Génica , Aparato de Golgi/metabolismo , Proteínas de la Membrana/genética , Proteínas de la Membrana/metabolismo , Proteínas de Transporte de Membrana/química , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Mutación , Ovario/metabolismo , Proteoglicanos/metabolismo , Homología de Secuencia de Aminoácido , Transducción de Señal , Transportadores de Sulfato , Sulfatos/metabolismo , Alas de Animales/embriología
14.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 100(13): 7720-5, 2003 Jun 24.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-12802016

RESUMEN

P element-mediated mutagenesis has been used to disrupt an estimated 25% of genes essential for Drosophila adult viability. Mutation of all genes in the fly genome, however, poses a problem, because P elements show significant hotspots of integration. In addition, advanced screening scenarios often require the use of P element-based tools like the generation of germ-line mosaics using FLP recombinase-mediated recombination or gene misexpression using the UAS/Gal4 system. These techniques are P element-based and can therefore not be combined with the use of P elements as mutagenic agents. To circumvent these limitations, we have developed an insertional mutagenesis system using non-P element transposons. An enhanced yellow fluorescent protein-marked piggyBac-based mutator element was mobilized by a piggyBac specific transposase source expressed from a Hermes-based jump-starter transposon marked with enhanced cyan fluorescent protein. In a pilot screen, we have generated 798 piggyBac insertions on FRT bearing third chromosomes of which 9% have sustained a putatively piggyBac-related lethal hit. The FRTs present on the target chromosome remained stably integrated during the screen and could subsequently be used to generate germ-line clones associated with maternal and zygotic phenotypes. PCR-based analysis of insertion loci shows that 57% of the insertions are in genes for which no P element insertions have been reported. Our data demonstrate the potential of this technique to facilitate the quest for saturation mutagenesis of the Drosophila genome. The system is Drosophila nonspecific and potentially applicable in a broad spectrum of nonmodel organisms.


Asunto(s)
Cromosomas , Drosophila/genética , Técnicas Genéticas , Mutagénesis , Animales , Proteínas Bacterianas/metabolismo , Cromosomas/ultraestructura , Cruzamientos Genéticos , Elementos Transponibles de ADN , Drosophila/fisiología , Homocigoto , Proteínas Luminiscentes/metabolismo , Modelos Genéticos , Mutagénesis Sitio-Dirigida , Mutación , Fenotipo , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa
15.
Genetics ; 163(2): 647-61, 2003 Feb.
Artículo en Inglés | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-12618403

RESUMEN

Transposon mutagenesis provides a fundamental tool for functional genomics. Here we present a non-species-specific, combined enhancer detection and binary expression system based on the transposable element piggyBac: For the different components of this insertional mutagenesis system, we used widely applicable transposons and distinguishable broad-range transformation markers, which should enable this system to be operational in nonmodel arthropods. In a pilot screen in Drosophila melanogaster, piggyBac mutator elements on the X chromosome were mobilized in males by a Hermes-based jumpstarter element providing piggyBac transposase activity under control of the alpha1-tubulin promoter. As primary reporters in the piggyBac mutator elements, we employed the heterologous transactivators GAL4delta or tTA. To identify larval and adult enhancer detectors, strains carrying UASp-EYFP or TRE-EYFP as secondary reporter elements were used. Tissue-specific enhancer activities were readily observed in the GAL4delta/UASp-based systems, but only rarely in the tTA/TRE system. Novel autosomal insertions were recovered with an average jumping rate of 80%. Of these novel insertions, 3.8% showed homozygous lethality, which was reversible by piggyBac excision. Insertions were found in both coding and noncoding regions of characterized genes and also in noncharacterized and non-P-targeted CG-number genes. This indicates that piggyBac will greatly facilitate the intended saturation mutagenesis in Drosophila.


Asunto(s)
Elementos Transponibles de ADN , Drosophila melanogaster/genética , Elementos de Facilitación Genéticos , Genómica , Animales , Genes Reporteros , Mutagénesis Insercional , Mutación
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