Identification of functions of DWnt4 gene in ventral epidermis of embryos and abdomen of adult Drosophila during development

Abstract

Wnt protein forms a multigenic family secreting signaling molecules important for various key developmental events in animals. Wingless (wg) is the prototype member of Wnt gene family, while DWnt4 has been identified recently from a clonal library of proteins associated in vivo with Ubx protein. DWnt4 has been reported to function in embryo epidermis patterning, female gonade development, motor neuron axon guidance. In this study, validation was done for some reported functions of DWnt4 with ectopic expression and identified some novel functions using RNA interference. Knockdown of DWnt4 caused in ventral ectoderm reduced denticles with loss of one or two rows or entire denticle belt. Loss of DWnt4 also loss of polarity of wing hairs, loss of wing veins and notched wing phenotype. All the bristles from adult abdomen were lost when DWnt4 was driven with ubiquitous driver actineGal4. Tissue specific drivers enGal4 caused loss of polarity of dorsal tergite bristles and patches of tergites from adult abdomen. Thus, the DWnt4 seems to function in the cuticular differentiation of adult abdomen polarity of tergites bristles in Drosophila.