Patterning potential of the terminal system in the Drosophila embryo

• Published in: The Korean journal of chemical engineering Vol. 40; no. 2; pp. 436 - 444
• Main Authors: Lee, Keonyong, O’Neill, Kate Molloy, Ku, Jayoung, Shvartsman, Stanislav Yefimovic, Kim, Yoosik
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-02-2023; Springer Nature B.V; 한국화학공학회
• Subjects: Biotechnology; Catalysis; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Embryos; Fruit flies; Gene expression; Genes; Image segmentation; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Insects; Kinases; Materials Science; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Patterning; Signalling systems; Torso; 화학공학; Embryogenesis; Signal Transduction; MAPK; Gap Genes; Bistability
• ISSN: 0256-1115; 1975-7220
• DOI: 10.1007/s11814-022-1298-6

Segmentation of the
Drosophila
embryo is initiated by localized maternal signals. In this context, anteriorly localized Bicoid activates the gap genes in the anterior half of the embryo while posteriorly localized Nanos represses the translation of maternal
hunchback
mRNA to pattern the posterior half. The non-segmented termini are patterned by the localized activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase. Yet, the spatial extent of the terminal patterning system in regulating gap genes beyond poles remains unknown. We investigated the patterning potential of the terminal system using mutagenized embryos that lack both the anterior and the posterior maternal signaling systems. Using a combination of quantitative imaging and mathematical modeling, we analyzed the spatial patterns of gap genes in the early
Drosophila
embryo. We found that this mutant embryo develops symmetric cuticle patterns along the anteroposterior axis with two segments on each side. Notably, the terminal system can affect the expression of
Krüppel
in the torso region. Our mathematical model recapitulates the experimental data and reveals the potential bistability in the terminal patterning system. Collectively, our study suggests that the terminal system can act as a long-range inductive signal and establish multiple gene expression boundaries along the anteroposterior axis of the developing embryo.