Project description:Transcription factors, which regulate the spatiotemporal patterns of gene expression during organogenesis, often regulate multiple aspects of tissue morphogenesis, including cell-type specification, cell proliferation, cell death, cell polarity, cell shape, cell arrangement and cell migration. In this work, we describe a distinct role for Ribbon (Rib) in controlling cell shape changes during elongation of the Drosophila salivary gland (SG). Notably, the morphogenetic changes in rib mutants occurred without effects on general SG cell attributes such as specification, proliferation and apoptosis. Moreover, the abnormal cell/organ shape in rib mutants occurred without compromising epithelial-specific morphological attributes such as apicobasal polarity and junctional integrity. To identify the genes regulated by Rib that control cell and organ shape, we performed ChIP-seq analysis in embryos driving rib expression specifically in the SGs. To learn if the Rib binding sites identified in the ChIP-seq analysis were linked to changes in gene expression through transcriptional activation, repression, or both, we performed microarray analysis comparing RNA samples from age-matched wild-type and rib null embryos. From the superposed ChIP-seq and microarray gene expression data, we identified 60 genomic sites of bound Rib most likely to regulate SG-specific gene expression. We confirmed several of the identified Rib targets by qRT-pCR and/or in situ hybridization. Our results indicate that Rib regulates cell shape change in the Drosophila salivary gland via a diverse array of targets through both transcriptional activation and repression. Furthermore, our results suggest that a critical component of the SG morphogenetic gene network involving Rib is its autoregulation.
Project description:Transcription factors, which regulate the spatiotemporal patterns of gene expression during organogenesis, often regulate multiple aspects of tissue morphogenesis, including cell-type specification, cell proliferation, cell death, cell polarity, cell shape, cell arrangement and cell migration. In this work, we describe a distinct role for Ribbon (Rib) in controlling cell shape changes during elongation of the Drosophila salivary gland (SG). Notably, the morphogenetic changes in rib mutants occurred without effects on general SG cell attributes such as specification, proliferation and apoptosis. Moreover, the abnormal cell/organ shape in rib mutants occurred without compromising epithelial-specific morphological attributes such as apicobasal polarity and junctional integrity. To identify the genes regulated by Rib that control cell and organ shape, we performed ChIP-seq analysis in embryos driving rib expression specifically in the SGs. To learn if the Rib binding sites identified in the ChIP-seq analysis were linked to changes in gene expression through transcriptional activation, repression, or both, we performed microarray analysis comparing RNA samples from age-matched wild-type and rib null embryos. From the superposed ChIP-seq and microarray gene expression data, we identified 60 genomic sites of bound Rib most likely to regulate SG-specific gene expression. We confirmed several of the identified Rib targets by qRT-pCR and/or in situ hybridization. Our results indicate that Rib regulates cell shape change in the Drosophila salivary gland via a diverse array of targets through both transcriptional activation and repression. Furthermore, our results suggest that a critical component of the SG morphogenetic gene network involving Rib is its autoregulation. Three independent collections of stage 11 â 16 rib1/ribP7 embryos and three of wild-type embryos were used for hybridization to Drosophila Genome 2.0 Chips. Scanned intensity values were normalized using RMA (Partek software) and statistical analysis analyses were performed using the Spotfire software package (TIBCO). Target genes were identified as those that were upregulated/downregulated (1.5-fold change cutoff, P < 0.05) in rib1/ribP7 embryos when compared with Oregon R controls.
Project description:Transcription factors, which regulate the spatiotemporal patterns of gene expression during organogenesis, often regulate multiple aspects of tissue morphogenesis, including cell-type specification, cell proliferation, cell death, cell polarity, cell shape, cell arrangement and cell migration. In this work, we describe a distinct role for Ribbon (Rib) in controlling cell shape changes during elongation of the Drosophila salivary gland (SG). Notably, the morphogenetic changes in rib mutants occurred without effects on general SG cell attributes such as specification, proliferation and apoptosis. Moreover, the abnormal cell/organ shape in rib mutants occurred without compromising epithelial-specific morphological attributes such as apicobasal polarity and junctional integrity. To identify the genes regulated by Rib that control cell and organ shape, we performed ChIP-seq analysis in embryos driving rib expression specifically in the SGs. To learn if the Rib binding sites identified in the ChIP-seq analysis were linked to changes in gene expression through transcriptional activation, repression, or both, we performed microarray analysis comparing RNA samples from age-matched wild-type and rib null embryos. From the superposed ChIP-seq and microarray gene expression data, we identified 60 genomic sites of bound Rib most likely to regulate SG-specific gene expression. We confirmed several of the identified Rib targets by qRT-pCR and/or in situ hybridization. Our results indicate that Rib regulates cell shape change in the Drosophila salivary gland via a diverse array of targets through both transcriptional activation and repression. Furthermore, our results suggest that a critical component of the SG morphogenetic gene network involving Rib is its autoregulation.
Project description:To determine the genes directly and indirectly under the control of the Grainy head transcription factor during late stages of Drosophila embryogenesis.
Project description:To determine the genes directly and indirectly under the control of the Grainy head transcription factor during late stages of Drosophila embryogenesis. Total RNA from pre-larval (late stage 16 and early stage 17) grhIM homozygous (+; cn, grhIM, bw, sp; +) and wild-type (y; cn, bw, sp; +) embryos were compared.
Project description:The ETS transcriptional repressor Yan functions as part of a developmental switch that in response to receptor tyrosine kinase signaling, transitions from a high-Yan to a low-Yan state to direct specification of a variety of cell fates. To date very few direct target genes have been identified, nor is it clear how their expression is buffered against developmental noise to prevent inappropriate oscillations between states. Following investigation of its genome-wide chromatin occupancy profile, we noticed a striking signature at developmentally important genes whereby Yan associates with chromatin in regions of high-peak density that span multiple kilobases which partially relies upon SAM-domain mediated self-association. We speculate that the high-density Yan occupancy signature may reveal a novel mechanism that buffers the expression of critical developmental regulators against intrinsic and environmental noise. The supplementary bed file contains Yan binding regions.