The dPix-Git complex is essential to coordinate epithelial morphogenesis and regulate myosin during Drosophila egg chamber development

Lucas G Dent; Samuel A Manning; Benjamin Kroeger; Audrey M Williams; Abdul Jabbar Saiful Hilmi; Luke Crea; Shu Kondo; Sally Horne-Badovinac; Kieran F Harvey

doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1008083

The dPix-Git complex is essential to coordinate epithelial morphogenesis and regulate myosin during Drosophila egg chamber development

PLoS Genet. 2019 May 22;15(5):e1008083. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008083. eCollection 2019 May.

Authors

Lucas G Dent^{1

2}, Samuel A Manning^{1

3}, Benjamin Kroeger³, Audrey M Williams⁴, Abdul Jabbar Saiful Hilmi¹, Luke Crea¹, Shu Kondo⁵, Sally Horne-Badovinac⁴, Kieran F Harvey^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
² Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
³ Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, and Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia.
⁴ Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America.
⁵ Laboratory of Invertebrate Genetics, National Institute of Genetics, Yata, Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan.

Abstract

How biochemical and mechanical information are integrated during tissue development is a central question in morphogenesis. In many biological systems, the PIX-GIT complex localises to focal adhesions and integrates both physical and chemical information. We used Drosophila melanogaster egg chamber formation to study the function of PIX and GIT orthologues (dPix and Git, respectively), and discovered a central role for this complex in controlling myosin activity and epithelial monolayering. We found that Git's focal adhesion targeting domain mediates basal localisation of this complex to filament structures and the leading edge of migrating cells. In the absence of dpix and git, tissue disruption is driven by contractile forces, as reduction of myosin activators restores egg production and morphology. Further, dpix and git mutant eggs closely phenocopy defects previously reported in pak mutant epithelia. Together, these results indicate that the dPix-Git complex controls egg chamber morphogenesis by controlling myosin contractility and Pak kinase downstream of focal adhesions.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / genetics*
ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / metabolism
Animals
Cell Movement
Drosophila Proteins / genetics*
Drosophila Proteins / metabolism
Drosophila melanogaster / cytology
Drosophila melanogaster / genetics*
Drosophila melanogaster / growth & development
Drosophila melanogaster / metabolism
Epithelial Cells / cytology
Epithelial Cells / metabolism
Female
Focal Adhesions / metabolism
Focal Adhesions / ultrastructure
GTPase-Activating Proteins / genetics*
GTPase-Activating Proteins / metabolism
Gene Expression Profiling
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
Mechanotransduction, Cellular
Morphogenesis / genetics*
Myosins / genetics*
Myosins / metabolism
Zygote / cytology
Zygote / growth & development
Zygote / metabolism
p21-Activated Kinases / genetics
p21-Activated Kinases / metabolism

Substances

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters
Drosophila Proteins
GTPase-Activating Proteins
Git protein, Drosophila
pix protein, drosophila
Pak protein, Drosophila
p21-Activated Kinases
Myosins

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding