During embryonic development, the intestine of the Drosophila fly divides into distinct chambers thanks to the formation of constrictions at specific points of the tissue. The Wingless (Wg) signalling pathway is known to be responsible for one of these constrictions but until now the underlying mechanism regulating this was not known.
A study led by Dr. Delia Ricolo and Dr. Jordi Casanova at IRB Barcelona, published in the journal EMBO reports, has unveiled that Wingless triggers calcium entry, which leads to a change in cell polarity, reorganizing the cytoskeleton and allowing contraction of the tissue. As a result, the intestine becomes divided into distinct specialized regions.
A new mechanism for embryonic development
“We knew that Wingless participates in the development of the intestine, but the underlying mechanism remained unclear. We now know that calcium plays a key role in this process,” explains Dr. Ricolo, first author of the work.
The research demonstrates that the activation of Wingless triggers cellular reorganization that allows contraction of the tissue and the formation of the constrictions that lead to the final shape of the fly intestine.
This finding not only contributes to our understanding of embryonic development in insects but also expands the effects of the Wingless signalling pathway, which has been highly conserved throughout evolution. This study sheds light on how biochemical signals can transform cellular architecture during embryonic development. A greater understanding of these mechanisms could give insights into diseases related to morphogenesis and organ development in distinct organisms.
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