Glass Bottom Boat Research Articles

Soma-to-germline BMP signal is essential for Drosophila spermiogenesis

In the Drosophila testis, developing germ cells are encapsulated by somatic support cells throughout development. Soma-germline interactions are essential for successful spermiogenesis. However, it is still not fully understood what signaling events take place between the soma and the germline. In this study, we found that a Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) ligand, Glass bottom boat (Gbb), secreted from somatic cyst cells (CCs), signals to differentiating germ cells to maintain proper spermiogenesis. Knockdown of Gbb in CCs or the type I BMP receptor Saxophone (Sax) in germ cells leads to a defect in sperm head bundling and decreased fertility. Our Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analyses revealed that the mutant germ cells have aberrant morphology of mitochondria throughout the stages of spermiogenesis and exhibit a defect in nebenkern formation. Elongating spermatids show uncoupled nuclei and elongating mitochondrial derivatives, suggesting that improper mitochondrial development may cause sperm bundling defects. Taken together, we propose a new role of soma-derived BMP signaling, which is essential for spermiogenesis.

Design of Catamaran Electric-Powered Glass Bottom Boat as a Tourism Facility for Gili Noko Island

Design of Catamaran Electric-Powered Glass Bottom Boat as a Tourism Facility for Gili Noko Island

Gbb Regulates Blood Cell Proliferation and Differentiation through JNK and EGFR Signaling Pathways in the Drosophila Lymph Gland.

The Drosophila lymph gland is an ideal model for studying hematopoiesis, and unraveling the mechanisms of Drosophila hematopoiesis can improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of human hematopoietic malignancies. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling is involved in a variety of biological processes and is highly conserved between Drosophila and mammals. Decapentaplegic (Dpp)/BMP signaling is known to limit posterior signaling center (PSC) cell proliferation by repressing the protooncogene dmyc. However, the role of two other TGF-β family ligands, Glass bottom boat (Gbb) and Screw (Scw), in Drosophila hematopoiesis is currently largely unknown. Here, we showed that the loss of Gbb in the cortical zone (CZ) induced lamellocyte differentiation by overactivation of the EGFR and JNK pathways and caused excessive differentiation of plasmatocytes, mainly by the hyperactivation of EGFR. Furthermore, we found that Gbb was also required for preventing the hyperproliferation of the lymph glands by inhibiting the overactivation of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) pathways. These results further advance our understanding of the roles of Gbb protein and the BMP signaling in Drosophila hematopoiesis and the regulatory relationship between the BMP, EGFR, and JNK pathways in the proliferation and differentiation of lymph gland hemocytes.

Stimulatory effect of peritrophin on vitellogenesis in female banana shrimp, Fenneropenaeus merguiensis

Glass bottom boat (Gbb) is a member of the transforming growth factor β family that plays several physiological roles in arthropods, including in reproduction. Recently, Fenneropenaeus merguiensis's Gbb (FmGbb) was demonstrated to play a stimulatory role in vitellogenesis of the banana shrimp, but potential partners of FmGbb have not been identified. Therefore, this study aimed to identify proteins that interact with FmGbb and characterize their gonad-regulating function. A yeast two-hybrid assay revealed three potential candidates: peritrophin (FmPT), polehole-like protein (FmPhl), and an uncharacterized protein. Expressions of FmPT and FmPhl were found mainly in the ovaries and significantly increased in the developing stages. However, in a GST-pull down assay, there was no protein–protein interaction between soluble recombinant glutathione-S transferase-fused FmPT (GST-rPT) protein and the recombinant FmGbb protein (His-TF-rgbb). The vitellogenesis stimulatory role of FmPT was then investigated both in vitro and in vivo. Ovarian explants treated with GST-rPT showed no significant change of vitellogenin (Vg) expression, but the injection of GST-rPT in ovaries and hepatopancreas of previtellogenic shrimp did induc Vg expression, suggesting a vitellogenesis stimulating activity of FmPT. Our findings show that FmPT has a novel role in vitellogenesis stimulation and has the potential to be developed as a gonad-stimulating bioproduct for use in shrimp aquaculture.

Conceptual framework for the insect metamorphosis from larvae to pupae by transcriptomic profiling, a case study of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

BackgroundInsect metamorphosis from larvae to pupae is one of the most important stages of insect life history. Relatively comprehensive information related to gene transcription profiles during lepidopteran metamorphosis is required to understand the molecular mechanism underlying this important stage. We conducted transcriptional profiling of the brain and fat body of the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) during its transition from last instar larva into pupa to explore the physiological processes associated with different phases of metamorphosis.ResultsDuring metamorphosis, the differences in gene expression patterns and the number of differentially expressed genes in the fat body were found to be greater than those in the brain. Each stage had a specific gene expression pattern, which contributed to different physiological changes. A decrease in juvenile hormone levels at the feeding stage is associated with increased expression levels of two genes (juvenile hormone esterase, juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase). The expression levels of neuropeptides were highly expressed at the feeding stage and the initiation of the wandering stage and less expressed at the prepupal stage and the initiation of the pupal stage. The transcription levels of many hormone (or neuropeptide) receptors were specifically increased at the initiation of the wandering stage in comparison with other stages. The expression levels of many autophagy-related genes in the fat body were found to be gradually upregulated during metamorphosis. The activation of apoptosis was probably related to enhanced expression of many key genes (Apaf1, IAP-binding motif 1 like, cathepsins, caspases). Active proliferation might be associated with enhanced expression levels in several factors (JNK pathway: jun-D; TGF-β pathway: decapentaplegic, glass bottom boat; insulin pathway: insulin-like peptides from the fat body; Wnt pathway: wntless, TCF/Pangolin).ConclusionsThis study revealed several vital physiological processes and molecular events of metamorphosis and provided valuable information for illustrating the process of insect metamorphosis from larvae to pupae.

O-GlcNAcylation Dampens Dpp/BMP Signaling to Ensure Proper Drosophila Embryonic Development.

BMP (bone morphogenetic protein) signaling activity is precisely controlled by both pathway agonists andantagonists. Here, we identify a previously unrecognized BMP signaling antagonist. We demonstrate that the Drosophila BMP type I receptor Sax(Saxophone) functions as a Dpp (Decapentaplegic) receptor in Drosophila embryos, but that its activity is normally inhibited by the O-linked glycosyltransferase Sxc (Super sex combs). In wild-type embryos, Sax activity is inhibited, and the BMP type I receptor Tkv (Thickveins) is the sole conduit for Dpp. In contrast, in sxc mutants, the Dpp signal istransduced by both Tkv and Sax, and elevated Dpp signaling results in embryonic lethality. We also demonstrate that Sxc O-glycosylates Sax andobserve elevated Dpp signaling in response to maternal restriction of dietary sugar. These findings link fertility to nutritive environment and point to Sax signaling as the nutrient-sensitive branch of BMP signaling.

Target-dependent retrograde signaling mediates synaptic plasticity at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction.

Neurons that innervate multiple targets often establish synapses with target-specific strengths, and local forms of synaptic plasticity. We have examined the molecular-genetic mechanisms that allow a single Drosophila motoneuron, the ventral Common Exciter (vCE), to establish connections with target-specific properties at its various synaptic partners. By driving transgenes in a subset of vCE's targets, we found that individual target cells are able to independently control the properties of vCE's innervating branch and synapses. This is achieved by means of a trans-synaptic growth factor secreted by the target cell. At the larval neuromuscular junction, postsynaptic glutamate receptor activity stimulates the release of the BMP4/5/6 homolog Glass bottom boat (Gbb). As larvae mature and motoneuron terminals grow, Gbb activates the R-Smad transcriptional regulator phosphorylated Mad (pMad) to facilitate presynaptic development. We found that manipulations affecting glutamate receptors or Gbb within subsets of target muscles led to local effects either specific to the manipulated muscle or by a limited gradient within the presynaptic branches. While presynaptic development depends on pMad transcriptional activity within the motoneuron nucleus, we find that the Gbb growth factor may also act locally within presynaptic terminals. Local Gbb signaling and presynaptic pMad accumulation within boutons may therefore participate in a "synaptic tagging" mechanism, to influence synaptic growth and plasticity in Drosophila.

Transcript analysis reveals the involvement of NF-κB transcription factors for the activation of TGF-β signaling in nematode-infected Drosophila.

The common fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful model for studying signaling pathway regulation. Conserved signaling pathways underlying physiological processes signify evolutionary relationship between organisms and the nature of the mechanisms they control. This study explores the cross-talk between the well-characterized nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) innate immune signaling pathways and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling pathway in response to parasitic nematode infection in Drosophila. To understand the link between signaling pathways, we followed on our previous studies by performing a transcript-level analysis of different TGF-β signaling components following infection of immune-compromised Drosophila adult flies with the nematode parasites Heterorhabditis gerrardi and H. bacteriophora. Our findings demonstrate the requirement of NF-κB transcription factors for activation of TGF-β signaling pathway in Drosophila in the context of parasitic nematode infection. We observe significant decrease in transcript level of glass bottom boat (gbb) and screw (scw), components of the bone morphogenic protein (BMP) branch, as well as Activinβ (actβ) which is a component of the Activin branch of the TGF-β signaling pathway. These results are observed only in H. gerrardi nematode-infected flies compared to uninfected control. Also, this significant decrease in transcript level is found only for extracellular ligands. Future research examining the mechanisms regulating the interaction of these signaling pathways could provide further insight into Drosophila anti-nematode immune function against infection with potent parasitic nematodes.

BMP-dependent synaptic development requires Abi-Abl-Rac signaling of BMP receptor macropinocytosis

Retrograde BMP trans-synaptic signaling is essential for synaptic development. Despite the importance of endocytosis-regulated BMP receptor (BMPR) control of this developmental signaling, the mechanism remains unknown. Here, we provide evidence that Abelson interactor (Abi), a substrate for Abl kinase and component of the SCAR/WAVE complex, links Abl and Rac1 GTPase signaling to BMPR macropinocytosis to restrain BMP-mediated synaptic development. We find that Abi acts downstream of Abl and Rac1, and that BMP ligand Glass bottom boat (Gbb) induces macropinocytosis dependent on Rac1/SCAR signaling, Abl-mediated Abi phosphorylation, and BMPR activation. Macropinocytosis acts as the major internalization route for BMPRs at the synapse in a process driven by Gbb activation and resulting in receptor degradation. Key regulators of macropinocytosis (Rabankyrin and CtBP) control BMPR trafficking to limit BMP trans-synaptic signaling. We conclude that BMP-induced macropinocytosis acts as a BMPR homeostatic mechanism to regulate BMP-mediated synaptic development.

A Neuron-Glial Trans-Signaling Cascade Mediates LRRK2-Induced Neurodegeneration

SUMMARYPathogenic mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) induce an age-dependent loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons. We have identified Furin 1, a pro-protein convertase, as a translational target of LRRK2 in DA neurons. Transgenic knockdown of Furin1 or its substrate the bone morphogenic protein (BMP) ligand glass bottom boat (Gbb) protects against LRRK2-induced loss of DA neurons. LRRK2 enhances the accumulation of phosphorylated Mad (pMad) in the nuclei of glial cells in the vicinity of DA neurons but not in DA neurons. Consistently, exposure to paraquat enhances Furin 1 levels in DA neurons and induces BMP signaling in glia. In support of a neuron-glial signaling model, knocking down BMP pathway members only in glia, but not in neurons, can protect against paraquat toxicity. We propose that a neuron-glial BMP-signaling cascade is critical for mediating age-dependent neurodegeneration in two models of Parkinson’s disease, thus opening avenues for future therapeutic interventions.

Coordinated Regulation of Axonal Microtubule Organization and Transport by Drosophila Neurexin and BMP Pathway

Neurexins are well known trans-synaptic cell adhesion molecules that are required for proper synaptic development and function across species. Beyond synapse organization and function, little is known about other roles Neurexins might have in the nervous system. Here we report novel phenotypic consequences of mutations in Drosophila neurexin (dnrx), which alters axonal microtubule organization and transport. We show that dnrx mutants display phenotypic similarities with the BMP receptor wishful thinking (wit) and one of the downstream effectors, futsch, which is a known regulator of microtubule organization and stability. dnrx has genetic interactions with wit and futsch. Loss of Dnrx also results in reduced levels of other downstream effectors of BMP signaling, phosphorylated-Mad and Trio. Interestingly, postsynaptic overexpression of the BMP ligand, Glass bottom boat, in dnrx mutants partially rescues the axonal transport defects but not the synapse undergrowth at the neuromuscular junctions. These data suggest that Dnrx and BMP signaling are involved in many diverse functions and that regulation of axonal MT organization and transport might be distinct from regulation of synaptic growth in dnrx mutants. Together, our work uncovers a novel function of Drosophila Neurexin and may provide insights into functions of Neurexins in vertebrates.

Gene Regulation of BMP Ligands in Drosophila.

Drosophila is a valuable system to study bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) due to the high functional conservation of the pathway and the molecular genetic tools available. Drosophila has three BMP ligands, decapentaplegic (BMP2/4), screw, and glass bottom boat (BMP5/6/7/8). Of these genes, the transcriptional regulation of decapentaplegic has been studied, and some of the enhancers directing its spatially specific gene expression have been described. These analyses have used many of the standard tools of molecular biology, but a valuable method of analysis often used in Drosophila is the creation of patches of mutant tissue at any stage and in any location by induced somatic recombination. The ability to create transgenic flies and manipulate the Drosophila genome with recombinases is well established. This method can be used to evaluate the requirements for specific transcription factors to act on enhancer elements in vivo, in stage- and tissue-specific manners. The yeast FLP/FRT recombination system facilitates experiments to interrogate loss- or gain-of-function for transcription factor activity on known enhancers. This chapter will outline the necessary steps to create the tools needed and conduct somatic cell recombination experiments to interrogate the function of transcription factors on BMP enhancers.

Induction of vitellogenesis by glass bottom boat in the female banana shrimp, Fenneropenaeus merguiensis de Man

In shrimp aquaculture, eyestalk ablation is the only technique that is widely used to accelerate ovarian development. Alternative methods for producing improved ovarian development in broodstock are currently being investigated. Several factors involved in the regulation of ovarian development in shrimp have been investigated. Among these factors, growth factors in the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily have been implicated as playing potential roles in the regulation of gonad development. In this work, a member of the TGF-β superfamily known as glass bottom boat (GBB), an ortholog of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), was investigated to uncover its role in ovarian development in the banana shrimp Fenneropenaeus merguiensis. Full-length cDNA of FmGBB was obtained from transcriptome data. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the sequence of FmGBB from banana shrimp was similar to those of other arthropods and vertebrate BMP 5/6/7, but was different from those of decapentaplegic proteins and vertebrate BMP 2/4. The FmGBB transcript was found to be widely expressed in shrimp tissues, and its expression in the ovary was dramatically increased in early and late vitellogenic stages during ovarian development and decreased in the mature stage, suggesting its role in vitellogenesis. To study the effects of FmGBB, a soluble recombinant mature FmGBB peptide (His-TF-rgbb) containing both monomers and homodimers was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli. The His-TF-rgbb peptide triggered oocyte proliferation in both cultured ovarian explants and in previtellogenic shrimp upon injection. Interestingly, the injection of His-TF-rgbb into previtellogenic female shrimp stimulated an increase in Vg expression in their ovaries while suppressing production of 20-hydroxyecdysone. Our results suggest the potential role of FmGBB in oocyte proliferation and vitellogenesis; this novel finding can be utilized to stimulate ovarian development in cultured shrimp.

The Study on Stability and Seakeeping Characteristics of the Glass Bottom Boat Trimaran in Karimunjawa Island

Recently the diversity of fish populations in the waters Karimunjawa Island is only appreciated by those who have the ability to play diving and snorkeling. It is due to the unavailability of a vehicle that is specially made to delight in the fascination of the underwater panorama. One of the alternative solutions is using the glass bottom boat technology which is using transparent bottom that might look out the underwater scenery instead of swimming and snorkeling. The paper has focused on the study of intact stability and seakeeping characteristics of glass bottom boat trimaran in Karimunjawa Island. The intact stability characteristics will be investigated at the various load cases and weight distribution configurations which are influenced by the passenger positions and fuel tank condition. Regarding the seakeeping performance analysis, the ITTC-Bretschneider will be adopted as the wave spectrum at the wave parameters defined from the operational environment. The influence of the parameters on the stability and seakeeping of the glass bottom boat trimaran are presented and discussed.

Regulation of neuroblast proliferation by surface glia in the Drosophila larval brain

Despite the importance of precisely regulating stem cell division, the molecular basis for this control is still elusive. Here, we show that surface glia in the developing Drosophila brain play essential roles in regulating the proliferation of neural stem cells, neuroblasts (NBs). We found that two classes of extracellular factors, Dally-like (Dlp), a heparan sulfate proteoglycan, and Glass bottom boat (Gbb), a BMP homologue, are required for proper NB proliferation. Interestingly, Dlp expressed in perineural glia (PG), the most outer layer of the surface glia, is responsible for NB proliferation. Consistent with this finding, functional ablation of PG using a dominant-negative form of dynamin showed that PG has an instructive role in regulating NB proliferation. Gbb acts not only as an autocrine proliferation factor in NBs but also as a paracrine survival signal in the PG. We propose that bidirectional communication between NBs and glia through TGF-β signaling influences mutual development of these two cell types. We also discuss the possibility that PG and NBs communicate via direct membrane contact or transcytotic transport of membrane components. Thus, our study shows that the surface glia acts not only as a simple structural insulator but also a dynamic regulator of brain development.

Bone Morphogenetic Protein Glass Bottom Boat (BMP5/6/7/8) and its receptor Wishful Thinking (BMPRII) are required for injury-induced allodynia in Drosophila.

BackgroundChronic pain affects millions of people worldwide; however, its cellular and molecular mechanisms have not been completely elucidated. It is thought that chronic pain is triggered by nociceptive sensitization, which produces elevated nocifensive responses. A model has been developed in Drosophila melanogaster to investigate the underlying mechanisms of chronic pain using ultraviolet-induced tissue injury to trigger thermal allodynia, a nociceptive hypersensitivity to a normally innocuous stimulus. Larvae were assayed for their behavioral latencies to produce a distinct avoidance response under different thermal conditions. Previously, Decapentaplegic, a member of the Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) family and orthologous to mammalian BMP2/4, was shown to be necessary for the induction of allodynia. Here, we further investigate the BMP pathway to identify other essential molecules necessary to activate the nociceptive sensitization pathway.ResultsUsing the GAL4-UAS-RNAi system to induce a cell-specific knockdown of gene expression, we further explored BMP pathway components to identify other key players in the induction of nociceptive sensitization by comparing the responses of manipulated animals to those of controls. Here, we show that a second BMP, Glass Bottom Boat, and its receptor Wishful Thinking are both necessary for injury-induced thermal allodynia since the formation of sensitization was found to be severely attenuated when either of these components was suppressed. The effects on pain perception appear to be specific to the sensitization system, as the ability to respond to a normally noxious stimulus in the absence of injury was left intact, and no nociceptor morphological defects were observed.ConclusionThese results provide further support of the hypothesis that the BMP pathway plays a crucial role in the development of nociceptive sensitization. Because of its strong conservation between invertebrates and mammals, the BMP pathway may be worthy of future investigation for the development of targeted treatments to alleviate chronic pain.

SPECIAL-INTEREST MARINE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN SERANGAN VILLAGE, DENPASAR

This resarch is held in Serangan Village, Denpasar Selatan District, Denpasar Municipility. Purpose of this researchis to identify the potencies of Serangan Island which could be developed as tourism product such as special-interest marine tourism and to know the visitors’ perceptions to the objects and attractions they visit in order to determine the most favorite tourist attraction in Serangan Village.Data of this research was collected by survey, interview, documentation and library study. The data is analyzed by using quantitative analysis (descriptive statistics)and qualitative analysis (descriptive and comparative analysis). The resultsshowed that there are five potencies of natural attractions identified in Serangan Island which could be developed as tourist objects and special-interest marine tourism. They are the white sand beach, seaweed, clean blue sea, coral garden, and mangrove forest. The special interest-marine tourism are surfing, parasailing, waterski, snorkeling, diving, flying fish, underwater seawalker, banana boat, jetski, donat boat, glass bottom boat, horse riding, fishing, fast boat, turtle conservation and coral transplantation. The biggest market segment of those special marine attractions are 95 % Chinese. The foreign visitors that visit Serangan Island about 94.41 %, and the domestic visitors are about 5.59 %. The most favorite marine attractions in Serangan Village is travelling through the quay by fast boat, it is 311,344 people. Then the second and third favorite are turtle conservation and parasailing, they are 18,040 people and 1,890 people. From the capacity ratio, the most favorite attraction is travelling through the quay by fast boat, it is 276.75, the second and third favorites are flying fish and underwater sea walker with ratio 157.50 and 132.38.

Alternative cleavage of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), Gbb, produces ligands with distinct developmental functions and receptor preferences

The family of TGF-β and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling proteins has numerous developmental and physiological roles. They are made as proprotein dimers and then cleaved by proprotein convertases to release the C-terminal domain as an active ligand dimer. Multiple proteolytic processing sites in Glass bottom boat (Gbb), the Drosophila BMP7 ortholog, can produce distinct ligand forms. Cleavage at the S1 or atypical S0 site in Gbb produces Gbb15, the conventional small BMP ligand, whereas NS site cleavage produces a larger Gbb38 ligand. We hypothesized that the Gbb prodomain is involved not only in regulating the production of specific ligands but also their signaling output. We found that blocking NS cleavage increased association of the full-length prodomain with Gbb15, resulting in a concomitant decrease in signaling activity. Moreover, NS cleavage was required in vivo for Gbb-Decapentaplegic (Dpp) heterodimer-mediated wing vein patterning but not for Gbb15-Dpp heterodimer activity in cell culture. Gbb NS cleavage was also required for viability through its regulation of pupal ecdysis in a type II receptor Wishful thinking (Wit)-dependent manner. In fact, Gbb38-mediated signaling exhibits a preference for Wit over the other type II receptor Punt. Finally, we discovered that Gbb38 is produced when processing at the S1/S0 site is blocked by O-linked glycosylation in third instar larvae. Our findings demonstrate that BMP prodomain cleavage ensures that the mature ligand is not inhibited by the prodomain. Furthermore, alternative processing of BMP proproteins produces ligands that signal through different receptors and exhibit specific developmental functions.

High fat diet-induced TGF-β/Gbb signaling provokes insulin resistance through the tribbles expression.

Hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance are hallmarks of obesity-induced type 2 diabetes, which is often caused by a high-fat diet (HFD). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying HFD-induced insulin resistance have not been elucidated in detail. In this study, we established a Drosophila model to investigate the molecular mechanisms of HFD-induced diabetes. HFD model flies recapitulate mammalian diabetic phenotypes including elevated triglyceride and circulating glucose levels, as well as insulin resistance. Expression of glass bottom boat (gbb), a Drosophila homolog of mammalian transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), is elevated under HFD conditions. Furthermore, overexpression of gbb in the fat body produced obese and insulin-resistant phenotypes similar to those of HFD-fed flies, whereas inhibition of Gbb signaling significantly ameliorated HFD-induced metabolic phenotypes. We also discovered that tribbles, a negative regulator of AKT, is a target gene of Gbb signaling in the fat body. Overexpression of tribbles in flies in the fat body phenocopied the metabolic defects associated with HFD conditions or Gbb overexpression, whereas tribbles knockdown rescued these metabolic phenotypes. These results indicate that HFD-induced TGF-β/Gbb signaling provokes insulin resistance by increasing tribbles expression.

Adaptive protein divergence of BMP ligands takes place under developmental and evolutionary constraints.

The bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling network, comprising evolutionary conserved BMP2/4/Decapentaplegic (Dpp) and Chordin/Short gastrulation (Sog), is widely utilized for dorsal-ventral (DV) patterning during animal development. A similar network is required for posterior crossvein (PCV) formation in the Drosophila pupal wing. Although both transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of co-factors in the network gives rise to tissue-specific and species-specific properties, their mechanisms are incompletely understood. In Drosophila, BMP5/6/7/8-type ligands, Screw (Scw) and Glass bottom boat (Gbb), form heterodimers with Dpp for DV patterning and PCV development, respectively. Sequence analysis indicates that the Scw ligand contains two N-glycosylation motifs: one being highly conserved between BMP2/4- and BMP5/6/7/8-type ligands, and the other being Scw ligand specific. Our data reveal that N-glycosylation of the Scw ligand boosts BMP signaling both in cell culture and in the embryo. In contrast, N-glycosylation modifications of Gbb or Scw ligands reduce the consistency of PCV development. These results suggest that tolerance for structural changes of BMP5/6/7/8-type ligands is dependent on developmental constraints. Furthermore, gain and loss of N-glycosylation motifs in conserved signaling molecules under evolutionary constraints appear to constitute flexible modules to adapt to developmental processes.