Control of airway tube diameter and integrity by secreted chitin-binding proteins in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: The transporting function of many branched tubular networks like our lungs and circulatory system depend on the sizes and shapes of their branches. Understanding the mechanisms of tube size control during organ development may offer new insights into a variety of human pathologies associated with stenoses or cystic dilations in tubular organs. Here, we present the first secreted luminal proteins involved in tube diametric expansion in the Drosophila airways. obst-A and gasp are conserved among insect species and encode secreted proteins with chitin binding domains. We show that the widely used tracheal marker 2A12, recognizes the Gasp protein. Analysis of obst-A and gasp single mutants and obst-A; gasp double mutant shows that both genes are primarily required for airway tube dilation. Sim

SUBMITTER: Tiklova K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3691276 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature