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- Title
Wnt Signaling Specifies Anteroposterior Progenitor Zone Identity in the Drosophila Visual Center.
- Authors
Takumi Suzuki; Olena Trush; Tetsuo Yasugi; Rie Takayama; Makoto Sato
- Abstract
During brain development, various types of neuronal populations are produced from different progenitor pools to produce neuronal diversity that is sufficient to establish functional neuronal circuits. However, the molecular mechanisms that specify the identity of each progenitor pool remain obscure. Here, we show that Wnt signaling is essential for the specification of the identity of posterior progenitor pools in the Drosophila visual center. In the medulla, the largest component of the visual center, different types of neurons are produced from two progenitor pools: the outer proliferation center (OPC) and glial precursor cells (GPCs; also known as tips of the OPC). We found that OPC-type neurons are produced from the GPCs at the expense of GPC-type neurons when Wnt signaling is suppressed in the GPCs. In contrast, GPC-type neurons are ectopically induced when Wnt signaling is ectopically activated in the OPC. These results suggest that Wnt signaling is necessary and sufficient for the specification of the progenitor pool identity. We also found that Homothorax (Hth), which is temporally expressed in the OPC, is ectopically induced in the GPCs by suppression of Wnt signaling and that ectopic induction of Hth phenocopies the suppression of Wnt signaling in the GPCs. Thus, Wnt signaling is involved in regionalization of the fly visual center through the specification of the progenitor pool located posterior to the medulla by suppressing Hth expression.
- Subjects
WNT signal transduction; DROSOPHILA; NEUROGLIA; CELL proliferation; PROGENITOR cells; OPTIC lobes; NEURAL development
- Publication
Journal of Neuroscience, 2016, Vol 38, Issue 24, p6503
- ISSN
0270-6474
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0864-16.2016