Sulfation affects apical extracellular matrix organization during development of the <i>Drosophila</i> embryonic salivary gland tube.

ABSTRACT: The apical extracellular matrix (aECM) plays a critical role in epithelial tube morphogenesis during organ formation, but its composition and organization remain poorly understood. Using the Drosophila embryonic salivary gland (SG) as a model, we identify Papss, an enzyme that synthesizes the universal sulfate donor PAPS, as a critical regulator of tube lumen expansion. Papss mutants show a disorganized apical membrane, condensed aECM, and disruptions in Golgi structures and intracellular trafficking. SG-specific expression of wild-type Papss, but not the catalytically inactive form, rescues the defects in Papss mutants, suggesting that defects in sulfation are the underlying cause of the phenotypes. Additionally, we identify two zona pellucida (ZP) domain proteins, Pi

SUBMITTER: Woodward JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12456955 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature