Mitf, with Yki and STRIPAK-PP2A, is a key determinant of form and fate in the progenitor epithelium of the Drosophila eye.

ABSTRACT: The Microphthalmia-associated Transcription Factor (MITF) governs numerous cellular and developmental processes. In mice, it promotes specification and differentiation of the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE), and in humans, some mutations in MITF induce congenital eye malformations. Herein, we explore the function and regulation of Mitf in Drosophila eye development and uncover two roles. We find that knockdown of Mitf results in retinal displacement (RDis), a phenotype associated with abnormal eye formation. Mitf functions in the peripodial epithelium (PE), a retinal support tissue akin to the RPE, to suppress RDis, via the Hippo pathway effector Yorkie (Yki). Yki physically interacts with Mitf and can modify its transcriptional activity in vitro. Severe loss of Mitf, instead, results i

SUBMITTER: Zhang T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11229422 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature