Hedgehog morphogen gradient is robust towards variations in tissue morphology in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: During tissue development, gradients of secreted signaling molecules known as morphogens provide cells with positional information. The mechanisms underlying morphogen spreading have been widely studied, however, it remains largely unexplored whether the shape of morphogen gradients is influenced by tissue morphology. Here, we developed an analysis pipeline to quantify the distribution of proteins within a curved tissue. We applied it to the Hedgehog morphogen gradient in the Drosophila wing and eye-antennal imaginal discs, which are flat and curved tissues, respectively. Despite a different expression profile, the slope of the Hedgehog gradient was comparable between the two tissues. Moreover, inducing ectopic folds in wing imaginal discs did not affect the slope of the Hedgehog gradient.

SUBMITTER: Pierini G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10213063 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature