Single-cell transcriptomics of the Drosophila wing disc reveals instructive epithelium-to-myoblast interactions.

ABSTRACT: In both vertebrates and invertebrates, generating a functional appendage requires interactions between ectoderm-derived epithelia and mesoderm-derived cells. To investigate such interactions, we used single-cell transcriptomics to generate a temporal cell atlas of the Drosophila wing disc from two developmental time points. Using these data, we visualized gene expression using a multilayered model of the wing disc and cataloged ligand-receptor pairs that could mediate signaling between epithelial cells and adult muscle precursors (AMPs). We found that localized expression of the fibroblast growth factor ligands, Thisbe and Pyramus, in the disc epithelium regulates the number and location of the AMPs. In addition, Hedgehog ligand from the epithelium activates a specific transcription

SUBMITTER: Everetts NJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8021398 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature