The Role of Drosophila Merlin in the Control of Mitosis Exit and Development
Abstract
Merlin, the NF2 gene product, shares a substantial homology with the ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) proteins. The merlin and ERM proteins are thought to be key regulators of interactions between the actin cytoskeleton and the plasma membrane in Schwann cells and polarized cells. They act as important members of signal transduction pathways that control cell growth and participate in the sorting of membrane proteins during exocytic traffic. Unlike ERM. Merlin has a distinct function as a tumor suppressor; however, the mechanism by which marline functions as a tumor suppressor is poorly understood. Drosophila melanogaster provides a genetic and developmental system that is amenable to experiment manipulation and has been very valuable to the study of tumor genetics. The Drosophila homolog of merlin shares sequence and functional similarity to the human protein. We have shown that merlin plays an important role in the control of mitosis exit and in the determination of dorsal/ventral compartment border during wing Imaginal disc development. Although merlin mutation did not seem to significantly affect the overall cell-cycle duration, merlin mutant displayed prolonged proliferation during the cell cycle. We showed that merlin is required for the determination of the wing morphology, and demonstrated a genetic interaction between merlin and porcupine, which controls the acetylation of the Wingless morphogen during the development of the wing imaginal disc. In addition, we showed a potential interaction between merlin and shibire, which is involved in wingless protein trafficking during early embryogenesis. Also, we found a role for merlin in spermatogenesis. Finally, we analyzed the origin and evolution of merlin, and identified a monophyletic origin of the merlin proteins with the root in early metazoa. Our results suggest a universal role of merlin in a wide range of metazoan.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA444414
Entities
People
- Long-Sheng Chang