rst transcriptional activity influences kirre mrna concentration in the drosophila pupal retina during the final steps of ommatidial patterningrst kirre mrna转录活动的影响集中在果蝇蛹的视网膜的最后步骤ommatidial模式.pdfVIP

rst Transcriptional Activity Influences kirre mRNA Concentration in the Drosophila Pupal Retina during the Final Steps of Ommatidial Patterning ¤ Maiaro Cabral Rosa Machado, Shirlei Octacilio-Silva , Mara Silvia A. Costa, Ricardo Guelerman P. Ramos* ˆ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ Departmento de Biologia Celular e Molecular e Bioagentes Patogenicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao Preto, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo, Brazil Abstract Background: Drosophila retinal architecture is laid down between 24–48 hours after puparium formation, when some of the still uncommitted interommatidial cells (IOCs) are recruited to become secondary and tertiary pigment cells while the remaining ones undergo apoptosis. This choice between survival and death requires the product of the roughest (rst) gene, an immunoglobulin superfamily transmembrane glycoprotein involved in a wide range of developmental processes. Both temporal misexpression of Rst and truncation of the protein intracytoplasmic domain, lead to severe defects in which IOCs either remain mostly undifferentiated and die late and erratically or, instead, differentiate into extra pigment cells. Intriguingly, mutants not expressing wild type protein often have normal or very mild rough eyes. Methodology/Principal Findings: By using quantitative real time PCR to examine rst transcriptional dynamics in the pupal retina, both in wild type and mutant alleles we showed that tightly regulated temporal changes in rst transcriptional rate underlie its proper function during the final steps of eye patterning. Furthermore we demonstrated that the unexpected wild type eye phenotyp