Abstract
Drosophila chorion represents a model biological system for the in vivo study of gene activity, epithelial development, extracellular-matrix assembly and morphogenetic-patterning control. It is produced during the late stages of oogenesis by epithelial follicle cells and develops into a highly organized multi-layered structure that exhibits regional specialization and radial complexity. Among the six major proteins involved in chorion’s formation, the s36 and s38 ones are synthesized first and regulated in a cell type-specific and developmental stage-dependent manner. In our study, an RNAi-mediated silencing of s36 chorionic-gene expression specifically in the follicle-cell compartment of Drosophila ovary unearths the essential, and far from redundant, role of s36 protein in patterning establishment of chorion’s regional specialization and radial complexity. Without perturbing the developmental courses of follicle- and nurse-cell clusters, the absence of s36 not only promotes chorion’s fragility but also induces severe structural irregularities on chorion’s surface and entirely impairs fly’s fertility. Moreover, we herein unveil a novel function of s36 chorionic protein in the regulation of number and morphogenetic integrity of dorsal appendages in follicles sporadically undergoing aged fly-dependent stress.
Highlights
Drosophila oogenesis represents a fundamental developmental process and an attractive biological platform for the analysis of gene regulation, cell differentiation and tissue morphogenesis[1]
Drosophila eggshell is produced during the late stages of oogenesis by epithelial follicle cells and is assembled as a highly organized multi-layered structure that exhibits regional and radial complexity[4,6,7]
To investigate the in vivo role of s36 chorionic protein during the course of Drosophila eggshell development, transgenic flies were generated through employment of the GAL4/UAS binary genetic system, directing the RNAi-induced silencing of s36 chorionic gene in the follicle-cell compartment of fly ovary
Summary
Drosophila oogenesis represents a fundamental developmental process and an attractive biological platform for the analysis of gene regulation, cell differentiation and tissue morphogenesis[1]. Drosophila eggshell is produced during the late stages of oogenesis by epithelial follicle cells and is assembled as a highly organized multi-layered structure that exhibits regional and radial complexity[4,6,7]. Six major proteins produced by epithelial follicle cells have been detected in Drosophila chorion Their sequential synthesis and secretion require precise regulation of gene-amplification and gene-expression mechanisms[9,10,11]. Based on their developmentally distinct patterns of expression, they are categorized as “early” (s36 and s38; stages 11–13), “middle” (s16 and s19; stage 13) and “late” (s15 and s18; stage 14) chorionic proteins[7,8] with s36 and s38 having been thought to play a major role in early choriogenesis. An unexpected age-dependent function of s36 as regulator of the number and morphogenetic patterning of dorsal appendages during choriogenesis was unearthed
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