Project description:Purpose: analyze ligand and receptor genes regulated at early time points following JAK STAT pathway stimulation During development and homeostasis, cells integrate multiple signals originating either from neighboring cells or systemically. In turn, responding cells can produce signals that act in an autocrine, paracrine, or endocrine manner. Although the nature of the signals and pathways used in cell-cell communication are well characterized, we lack, in most cases, an integrative view of signaling describing the spatial and temporal interactions between pathways (e.g., whether the signals are processed sequentially or concomitantly when two pathways are required for a specific outcome). To address the extent of cross-talk between the major metazoan signaling pathways, we characterized immediate transcriptional responses to either single- or multiple pathway stimulations in homogeneous Drosophila cell lines. Our study, focusing on seven core pathways, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), Jun kinase (JNK), JAK/STAT, Notch, Insulin, and Wnt, revealed that many ligands and receptors are primary targets of signaling pathways, highlighting that transcriptional regulation of genes encoding pathway components is a major level of signaling cross-talk. In addition, we found that ligands and receptors can integrate multiple pathway activities and adjust their transcriptional responses accordingly. RNA-seq data is for JAK STAT pathway only
Project description:Although the JAK/STAT pathway regulates numerous processes in vertebrates and invertebrates through modulating transcription, its functionally-relevant transcriptional targets remain largely unknown. With one jak and one stat (stat92E), Drosophila provides a powerful system for finding new JAK/STAT target genes. Genome-wide expression profiling on eye discs in which Stat92E is hyperactivated, revealed 584 differentially-regulated genes, including known targets domeless, socs36E and wingless. Other differentially-regulated genes (chinmo, lama, Mo25, Imp-L2, Serrate, Delta) were validated and may represent new Stat92E targets. Genetic experiments revealed that Stat92E cell-autonomously represses Serrate, which encodes a Notch ligand. Loss of Stat92E led to de-repression of Serrate in the dorsal eye, resulting in ectopic Notch signaling and aberrant eye growth there. Thus, our micro-array documents a new Stat92E target gene and a previously-unidentified inhibitory action of Stat92E on Notch signaling. These data suggest that this study will be a useful resource for the identification of additional Stat92E targets. Identification of the JAK/STAT pathway target genes in the Drosophila eye disc Keywords: Genotype comparison Gene expression profiles from five biological replicates of eye discs with yw (control) and GMR-upd (overexpressing JAK/STAT ligand unpaired) were compared using genome wide mRNA expression profiling by Affymetrix genechip arrays (Drosophila 2.0) and key targets were validated by clonal analysis, in situ hybridization, immunohistochemical staining and quantitative real-time PCR.
Project description:Chronically activated JAK/STAT signaling leads to several lung diseases, including lung cancer, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We used the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to elucidate the molecular processes which transform elevated JAK/STAT signaling in airway epithelial cells into pathology.
Project description:Although the JAK/STAT pathway regulates numerous processes in vertebrates and invertebrates through modulating transcription, its functionally-relevant transcriptional targets remain largely unknown. With one jak and one stat (stat92E), Drosophila provides a powerful system for finding new JAK/STAT target genes. Genome-wide expression profiling on eye discs in which Stat92E is hyperactivated, revealed 584 differentially-regulated genes, including known targets domeless, socs36E and wingless. Other differentially-regulated genes (chinmo, lama, Mo25, Imp-L2, Serrate, Delta) were validated and may represent new Stat92E targets. Genetic experiments revealed that Stat92E cell-autonomously represses Serrate, which encodes a Notch ligand. Loss of Stat92E led to de-repression of Serrate in the dorsal eye, resulting in ectopic Notch signaling and aberrant eye growth there. Thus, our micro-array documents a new Stat92E target gene and a previously-unidentified inhibitory action of Stat92E on Notch signaling. These data suggest that this study will be a useful resource for the identification of additional Stat92E targets. Identification of the JAK/STAT pathway target genes in the Drosophila eye disc Keywords: Genotype comparison
Project description:The JAK/STAT pathway is an essential signalling cascade required for multiple processes during both development and for adult homeostasis. A key question in understanding this pathway is how it is regulated in different cell contexts. Here we have examined how endocytic processing contributes to signalling by the single cytokine receptor, Domeless, in Drosophila melanogaster cells. We identify an evolutionarily conserved di-Leu motif that is required for Domeless internalisation and show that endocytosis is required for activation of a subset of Domeless targets. Our data indicate that endocytosis both qualitatively and quantitatively regulates Domeless signalling. STAT92E, the single STAT transcription factor in Drosophila, appears to be the target of endocytic regulation and our studies show that phosphorylation of STAT92E on Tyr704, while necessary, is not always sufficient for target transcription. Finally, we identify a conserved residue, Thr702, which is essential for Tyr704 phosphorylation. Taken together, our findings identify previously unknown aspects of JAK/STAT pathway regulation likely to play key roles in the spatial and temporal regulation of signalling in vivo.
Project description:The response of drosophila to bacterial and fungal infections involves two signaling pathways, Toll and Imd, which both activate NF-kB family members. We have studied the global transcriptional response of flies to infection with drosophila C virus. Viral infection induced a set of genes distinct from those regulated by the Toll or Imd pathways, and triggered activation of a STAT binding activity. Genetic experiments showed that the JAK kinase Hopscotch was involved in the control of the viral load in infected flies, and was required, though not sufficient, for the induction of some virus-regulated genes. Our results indicate that in addition to Toll and Imd, a third evolutionary conserved innate immunity pathway operates in drosophila and counters viral infection. Keywords: JAK/STAT virus drosophila immunity
Project description:Regeneration of fragmented Drosophila imaginal discs occurs in an epimorphic manner, involving local cell proliferation at the wound site. Following disc fragmentation, cells at the wound site activate a restoration program through wound healing, regenerative cell proliferation and repatterning of the tissue. However, the interplay of signaling cascades, driving these early reprogramming steps, is not well understood. Here we profiled the transcriptome of regenerating cells in the early phase within twenty-four hours after wounding. We found that JAK/STAT signaling becomes activated at the wound site and promotes regenerative cell proliferation in cooperation with Wingless (Wg) signaling. In addition, we demonstrated that the expression of Drosophila insulin-like peptide 8 (dilp8), which encodes a paracrine peptide to delay the onset of pupariation, is controlled by JAK/STAT signaling in early regenerating discs. Our findings suggest that JAK/STAT signaling plays a pivotal role in coordinating regenerative disc growth with organismal developmental timing. In order to analyze transcriptome change in early regenerating imaginal disc, Drosophila prothorasic leg discs were fragmented (to anterior one-quarter or posterior three-quarters) and cultured ex vivo in adult fly abdomen. Regenerating cells in early regeneration phase (at 12 or 24 hours after wounding) were subjected to transcriptome profiling with Affymetrix microarrays. For control samples, the corresponding regions of uncut-cultured discs and uncut-uncultured discs were used.
Project description:Regeneration of fragmented Drosophila imaginal discs occurs in an epimorphic manner, involving local cell proliferation at the wound site. Following disc fragmentation, cells at the wound site activate a restoration program through wound healing, regenerative cell proliferation and repatterning of the tissue. However, the interplay of signaling cascades, driving these early reprogramming steps, is not well understood. Here we profiled the transcriptome of regenerating cells in the early phase within twenty-four hours after wounding. We found that JAK/STAT signaling becomes activated at the wound site and promotes regenerative cell proliferation in cooperation with Wingless (Wg) signaling. In addition, we demonstrated that the expression of Drosophila insulin-like peptide 8 (dilp8), which encodes a paracrine peptide to delay the onset of pupariation, is controlled by JAK/STAT signaling in early regenerating discs. Our findings suggest that JAK/STAT signaling plays a pivotal role in coordinating regenerative disc growth with organismal developmental timing.
Project description:Immune cells need to sustain a state of constant alertness over a lifetime. Yet, little is known about the regulatory processes that control the fluent and fragile balance that is called homeostasis. Here we demonstrate that JAK-STAT signaling, beyond its role in immune responses, is a major regulator of immune cell homeostasis. We investigated JAK-STAT-mediated transcription and chromatin accessibility across 12 mouse models, including knockouts of all STAT transcription factors and of the TYK2 kinase. Baseline JAK-STAT signaling was detected in CD8+ T cells and macrophages of unperturbed mice – but abrogated in the knockouts and in unstimulated immune cells deprived of their normal tissue context. We observed diverse transcription-regulatory programs, including gene regulation by STAT2 and IRF9 independent of STAT1. In summary, our large-scale dataset and integrative analysis of JAK-STAT mutant and wildtype mice uncovered a crucial role of JAK-STAT signaling in unstimulated immune cells, where it contributes to a poised epigenetic and transcription-regulatory state and helps prepare these cells for rapid response to immune stimuli.