Visualization of Endogenous Type I TGF-β Receptor Baboon in the Drosophila Brain

Sci Rep. 2020 Mar 20;10(1):5132. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-61950-y.

Abstract

The transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling pathway is evolutionarily conserved and widely used in the animal kingdom to regulate diverse developmental processes. Prior studies have shown that Baboon (Babo), a Drosophila type I TGF-β receptor, plays essential roles in brain development and neural circuit formation. However, the expression pattern for Babo in the developing brain has not been previously reported. We generated a knock-in fly with a human influenza hemagglutinin (HA) tag at the C-terminus of Babo and assessed its localization. Babo::HA was primarily expressed in brain structures enriched with neurites, including the mushroom body lobe and neuropils of the optic lobe, where Babo has been shown to instruct neuronal morphogenesis. Since the babo 3' untranslated region contains a predicted microRNA-34 (miR-34) target sequence, we further tested whether Babo::HA expression was affected by modulating the level of miR-34. We found that Babo was upregulated by mir-34 deletion and downregulated by miR-34 overexpression, confirming that it is indeed a miR-34 target gene. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the baboHA fly permits accurate visualization of endogenous Babo expression during brain development and the construction of functional neural circuits.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Activin Receptors / genetics*
  • Activins / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Axons / physiology
  • Brain / growth & development*
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism
  • Drosophila / genetics*
  • Drosophila / growth & development
  • Drosophila / metabolism*
  • Drosophila Proteins / genetics*
  • Drosophila Proteins / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / genetics*
  • Gene Knock-In Techniques
  • Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / genetics
  • MicroRNAs / genetics*
  • Mushroom Bodies / growth & development
  • Neurites / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction / genetics
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta / metabolism

Substances

  • Carrier Proteins
  • Daw protein, Drosophila
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus
  • MIRN34 microRNA, Drosophila
  • MicroRNAs
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta
  • myo protein, Drosophila
  • Activins
  • Activin Receptors
  • Babo protein, Drosophila