Abstract
BackgroundMitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades (p38, JNK, ERK pathways) are involved in cell fate acquisition during development. These kinase modules are associated with scaffold proteins that control their activity. In Drosophila, dMP1, that encodes an ERK scaffold protein, regulates ERK signaling during wing development and contributes to intervein and vein cell differentiation. Functional relationships during wing development between a chromatin regulator, the Enhancer of Trithorax and Polycomb Corto, ERK and its scaffold protein dMP1, are examined here.ResultsGenetic interactions show that corto and dMP1 act together to antagonize rolled (which encodes ERK) in the future intervein cells, thus promoting intervein fate. Although Corto, ERK and dMP1 are present in both cytoplasmic and nucleus compartments, they interact exclusively in nucleus extracts. Furthermore, Corto, ERK and dMP1 co-localize on several sites on polytene chromosomes, suggesting that they regulate gene expression directly on chromatin. Finally, Corto is phosphorylated. Interestingly, its phosphorylation pattern differs between cytoplasm and nucleus and changes upon ERK activation.ConclusionsOur data therefore suggest that the Enhancer of Trithorax and Polycomb Corto could participate in regulating vein and intervein genes during wing tissue development in response to ERK signaling.
Highlights
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades (p38, Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), Extracellular regulated kinases (ERK) pathways) are involved in cell fate acquisition during development
The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways are evolutionary conserved signaling pathways used by eukaryotic cells to regulate gene expression during diverse processes such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, adaptation to changes in their environment, and so on
Genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with microarrays (ChIP-Chip) experiments have revealed that two other yeast MAPKs involved in pheromone response, Fus3 and Kss1, are bound to several genes that are expressed upon pheromone pathway activation [10]
Summary
Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades (p38, JNK, ERK pathways) are involved in cell fate acquisition during development. These kinase modules are associated with scaffold proteins that control their activity. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways are evolutionary conserved signaling pathways used by eukaryotic cells to regulate gene expression during diverse processes such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, adaptation to changes in their environment, and so on (for a review, see [1]). Anchoring of Hog to chromatin was shown to be important to stimulate the recruitment and activation of RNA Pol II [8] In addition to this role in transcriptional initiation, Hog behaves as a transcriptional elongation factor [9]. Genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with microarrays (ChIP-Chip) experiments have revealed that two other yeast MAPKs involved in pheromone response, Fus and Kss, are bound to several genes that are expressed upon pheromone pathway activation [10]
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