Abstract
Wnts are secreted signaling molecules that have essential functions in development and adult homeostasis. Wnt family proteins and their signaling pathway are conserved from humans to invertebrates. Wingless (Wg) is the founding Drosophila Wnt family member. In the wing disc, secreted Wg forms a gradient that activates short‐ and long‐range target in a concentration dependent manner. Wntless (Wls) is a conserved multi‐pass transmembrane protein that binds to Wg and escorts it through the secretion pathway and exists in two isoforms, Wls‐A and Wls‐B. The goal of this research was to determine the relative abundance of the two Wls isoforms in wing discs and determine differences in their functions. WlsB, the predominate transcript, harbors a retromer retrieval signal necessary for Wg secretion in the wing disc, which is absent in WlsA. Expression of either Wls‐A or Wls‐B is sufficient to rescue wls‐/wls‐ flies to adulthood. Using the UAS‐Gal4 system the phenotypic consequences of overexpressing each was explored. Wls‐A was lethal when expressed uniformly and had various strong phenotypes when overexpressed in different patterns in the wing imaginal disc. Furthermore, WlsA causes a cellular redistribution of Wg in ligand producing cells. Wls‐B displayed no phenotypes when overexpressed in the same manner, but causes a minor reduction in Wg in ligand producing cells. Funding: UD undergrad research, NSF, HHMI
Published Version
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