Yan, S.J., Zartman, J.J., Zhang, M., Scott, A., Shvartsman, S.Y., Li, W.X. (2009). Bistability coordinates activation of the EGFR and DPP pathways in Drosophila vein differentiation. Mol. Syst. Biol. 5(): 278.
FlyBase ID
FBrf0208264
Publication Type
Research paper
Abstract
Cell differentiation in developing tissues is controlled by a small set of signaling pathways, which must coordinate the timing and levels of activation to ensure robust and precise outcomes. Highly coordinated activation of signaling pathways can result from cross-regulatory interactions in multi-pathway networks. Here we explore the dynamics and function of pathway coordination between the EGFR and DPP pathways during Drosophila wing-vein differentiation. We show that simultaneous activation of both the EGFR and DPP pathways must be maintained for vein cell differentiation and that above-threshold ectopic activation of either pathway is sufficient to drive vein cell differentiation outside the proveins. The joint activation of the EGFR and DPP signaling systems is ensured by a positive feedback loop, in which the two pathways stimulate each other at the level of ligand production.
