Fasciclin 2 functions as an expression-level switch on EGFR to control organ shape and size in Drosophila.

Fasciclin 2 functions as an expression-level switch on EGFR to control organ shape and size in Drosophila.

Blog Article

Fasciclin 2 (Drosophila NCAM) is a homophilic Cell Adhesion Molecule expressed at moderate levels in the proliferating epithelial cells of imaginal discs, where it engages EGFR in a cell autonomous auto-stimulatory loop that promotes growth along larval development.In addition, Fasciclin 2 is expressed at high levels in the pre-differentiating cells of imaginal discs.Gain-of-function genetic icon track bar f250 analysis shows that Fasciclin 2 acts as a non-cell autonomous repressor of EGFR when high expression levels are induced during imaginal disc growth.Loss-of-function genetic analysis shows that this Fasciclin 2 functional facet is required at the end of larval development and it is mediated by interaction with IgCAMs CG15630 (Fipi) and CG33543 (Elff).

Thus, Fasciclin 2 bears two complementary functional roles which correspond with different levels of expression.The combined results from loss- and gain-of-function analyses suggest a scenario where duospiritalis.com the Fasciclin 2/EGFR cell autonomous auto-stimulatory loop promotes cell proliferation until reaching a Fasciclin 2 expression threshold where its non-cell autonomous function stops growth.Thus, cellular integration of Fasciclin 2 autonomous and non-cell autonomous signaling from neighbor cells may be a key regulator component to orchestrate the rate of intercalary cell proliferation and the final size and shape of an organ.