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Genetic Activities/Screening Approaches

Drosophila Migration Genes

Published Drosophila cell migration genes for primordial germ cells, hemocytes, the tracheal system, dorsal closure and border cells in development.

Contributors:Drs. Ruth Lehmann, Nirmal Lorensuhewa, Mariana Melani, Denise Montell, Michael Murray, Sara Ricardo, Rob Saint, Jessica Seifert, Daria Siekhaus, and Michelle Starz-Gaiano

If you would like to add a gene or another cell type to the table, please send an email to Denise Montell (dmontell@jhmi.edu).

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Drosophila Migration Genes
germ cellslarval tracheaembryonic tracheaborder cellsdorsal closureembryonic hemocyteembryonic hemocyte to woundembryonic mesodermembryonic endoderm
GeneNameFunctionCell
Type
PhenotypesReagents/
Alleles
Reference
14-3-3ζ
Entrez: CG17870
Flybase: FBgn0004907
14-3-3ζprotein bindingdorsal closureLoss of function: dorsal closure defects
Autonomous: ND
Gain of function: NO constructs
14-3-3ζ12BL; 14-3-3ζ7BLBroadie et al., 1997
a-Cat
Entrez: CG17947
Flybase: FBgn0010215
alpha-catenincytoskeletal protein binding; cadherin bindingembryonic tracheaLoss of function: cadherin binding; structural molecule activity.
Autonomous: autonomous
alpha-CatGD8808Jenkins, McCaffery, 2003
border cellsLoss of function: not reported
Gain of function: E-cadherin-FL/alpha-catenin fully rescued arm mutant clones
E-cadherin-FL/alpha-catenin, dsRNAPacquelet 2003
abdA
Entrez: CG10325
Flybase: FBgn0000014
abdominal Atranscription factor, homeoboxgerm cellsLoss of function: germ cells lost in posterior
Autonomous: non-autonomous
Gain of function: can induce more gonadal mesoderm

Comments: reqd for somatic gonad cell fate
abdA MX1, iab4-5DB, others, UAS-abdA, AbCumberledge 1992; Boyle 1995; Greig 1995; Karch 1985; Karch 1990
dorsal closureLoss of function: dorsal closure defectsabdA MX1Lovato et al., 2002
AbdB
Entrez: CG11648
Flybase: FBgn0000015
Abdominal Btranscription factor, homeoboxgerm cellsLoss of function: fewer somatic gonadal cells; germ cells lost in posterior
Autonomous: non-autonomous
Gain of function: can induce male somatic gonad

Comments: reqd for somatic gonad cell fate
AbdB D101.3, AbdB M1, others, UAS-AbdB, AbCastelli-Gair 1994; Moore 1998; DeFalco 2004; de Lorenzi 1990
abl
Entrez: CG4032
Flybase: FBgn0000017
Abl tyrosine kinasetyrosine kinasedorsal closureLoss of function: disrupts cell migration and cell shape; Supressor of the Bsk phenotype

Comments: Antibody available from Rubbin
ablMZGrevengoed et al., 2001
act5C
Entrez: CG4027
Flybase: FBgn0000042
Actin 5C cytoskeletal proteinborder cellsAutonomous: autonomous
Gain of function: can rescue rac overexpression
UAS-Act5C, GFP, P-insertionsGeisbrecht 2004; Schober 2005; Fulga 2002
aft
Entrez: CG5032
Flybase: FBgn0026309
adriftnovel, nuclear proteinembryonic tracheaLoss of function: trachea migration defectaft1, aft2, UAS-aft, hs-aft, aftPantip-4 (lacZ)Englund 1999; Ebner 2002
ago
Entrez: CG15010
Flybase: FBgn0041171
archipelagoubiquitin ligase; F-box specificity subunit embryonic tracheaLoss of function: DT break
Autonomous: autonomous

Comments: F-box specificity subunit of an SCF(skp-cullin-f box) ubiquitin ligase; restricts Trh level
ago1 and ago3Nathan T. Mortimer,2007
akt
Entrez: CG4006
Flybase: FBgn0010379
PKB/Aktprotein kinase B, phosphorylation of Trh faciliate its nuclear localizationembryonic tracheaLoss of function: fail to invaginate
Autonomous: autonomous
Dakt1Jin, 2001; Kim R. Lavenburg,2003
apt/ tdf
Entrez: CG5393
Flybase: FBgn0015903
apontic/tracheae defectivetranscription factorembryonic tracheaLoss of function: trachea migration defectapt07010Eulenberg and Schuh, 1997
border cellsLoss of function: additional migratory cells, border cell detachment defects
Autonomous: non-autonomous
Gain of function: no border cell migration

Comments: affects STAT signaling
apt167, apt41, FRT, UAS-tdfStarz-Gaiano 2008
arm
Entrez: CG11579
Flybase: FBgn0000117
armadilloadherens junctions, transcription factor, beta-cateninembryonic tracheaLoss of function: fail to fuse, migration abnormal
Autonomous: autonomous
armYD35Mihye Lee, 2003
dorsal closureLoss of function: dorsal closure defects (cell shape defects)
Autonomous: autonomous

Comments: Antibody available from Rubbin
armXP33Grevengoed, 2001
border cellsLoss of function: incomplete border cell migration
Autonomous: both (required in border cells and nurse cells)
Gain of function: no effect

Comments: links E-cad and alpha-catenin
arm4, UAS-arm, UAS-armY667FPacquelet 2003; Geisbrecht 2002
awd/nm23
Entrez: CG2210
Flybase: FBgn0000150
abnormal wing discnucleoside diphosphate kinase activity/ microtubule bindingembryonic tracheaLoss of function: dysregulated tracheal cell motility

Comments: mediate the endocytosis of Btl
awdj2A4Dammai et al.,2003
border cellsLoss of function: slight delay; disorganized
Autonomous: autonomous
Gain of function: blocks migration (catalytic-dead mutant does not)

Comments: downregulates cell surface receptors with dynamin
awdj2A4, FRT, hsp-awd, hsp-awdH119A, UAS-awdNallamothu 2008
bai
Entrez: CG11785
Flybase: FBgn0045866
baiser/ p23COPI adeptor proteinembryonic tracheaLoss of function: fail to expandNP5464Satish A Jayaram. 2008
baz
Entrez: CG5055
Flybase: FBgn0000163
bazooka protein binding, protein kinase C binding, Par-3 homologborder cellsLoss of function: incomplete border cell migration
Autonomous: autonomous
Gain of function: incomplete border cell migration, mislocalization of E-cad, beta integrin

Comments: apically localized
baz4, sym-baz (UAS-RNAi), UAS-baz, FRTPinheiro 2004

Notes:

Germ cells -- embryonic primordial germ cells, also known as pole cells in Drosophila, migrate across the posterior midgut epithelium and then move away from the midline and toward the somatic gonadal mesoderm on either side of the embryo. Eventually these cells give rise to eggs in the female and sperm in the male.

Embryonic trachea -- approximately 80 cells in each half-segment of the embryo first invaginate to form a sac, then migrate to form multiple branches which then form interconnected tubes that ramify throughout the embryo allowing passive gas exchange.

Larval trachea -- the tracheal branches are extensively remodeled during late larval stages to give rise to the adult tracheal system. In particular, the dorsal air sac primordium branches off of the transverse connective. Both division and migration of the cells in the primordium contribute to the new structure.

Border cells -- the fruit fly ovary is composed of developing egg chambers, each of which is made up of ~650 epithelial follicle cells that surround 15 nurse cells and one oocyte. The border cell cluster is a group of four to eight migratory follicle cells surrounding two non-migratory polar cells. The border cell cluster originates at the anterior end of the egg chamber, invades in between the nurse cells, detaches from the follicle cell epithelium, and migrates about 150 micrometers down the center of the egg chamber, until they arrive at the oocyte. They then move about 20 microns dorsally along the oocyte border.

Dorsal closure -- approximately midway through embryogenesis the cells enclosing the embryo on the dorsal side, known as amnioserosa, begin to contract. Epidermal cells on either side of the amnioserosa migrate dorsally and form a supracellular actin cable

Embryonic hemocyte -- a group of cells that originate in the head region of the embryo and migrate along stereotyped pathways in order to disperse throughout the embryo. These cells differentiate as macrophages and engulf bacteria and other pathogens as well as dying cells.

Embryonic hemocyte to wound -- in addition to their stereotyped developmental migrations, hemocytes migrate to laser-induced wounds in the embryonic epithelium.

Embryonic mesoderm -- during gastrulation, cells invaginate along the ventral midline and then undergo an epithelial to mesenchymal transition as they spread out and migrate dorsally, forming the mesoderm

Embryonic endoderm -- arises as two populations of cells at the anterior and posterior ends of the blastoderm embryo. These are internalised, undergo an epithelial to mesenchymal transition, and then migrate towards each other, eventually fusing and undergoing a mesenchymal to epithelial transition to form the midgut.