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argos is required for projection of photoreceptor axons during optic lobe development in Drosophila
Author(s) -
Sawamoto Kazunobu,
Okabe Masataka,
Tanimura Teiichi,
Hayashi Shigeo,
Mikoshiba Katsuhiko,
Okano Hideyuki
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
developmental dynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.634
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1097-0177
pISSN - 1058-8388
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0177(199602)205:2<162::aid-aja7>3.0.co;2-g
Subject(s) - biology , microbiology and biotechnology , mutant , phenotype , anatomy , retina , optic nerve , lobe , optic cup (embryology) , eye development , gene , neuroscience , genetics
The Drosophila argos gene encodes a secreted protein with an epidermal growthfactor (EGF) motif, which acts as an inhibitor of cell recruitment in the developing eye and wing.Here, we have analyzed the role of argos during optic lobe development. argos expression was observed in the optic lobes throughout the developmental stages. In argos mutants, neuropiles failed to develop normally during embryonic and larval stages, andphotoreceptor axons did not project properly into the lamina. Ubiquitous expression of argos, under control of the hsp70 promoter, rescued the defects in optic lobes. Wehave found that glial cells failed to differentiate in the larval optic lobes of argos mutants.Correspondingly, in loss‐of‐function repo mutants, whose glial cells also fail todifferentiate, photoreceptor axons showed the impaired projection pattern similar to the argos phenotype. These results suggest that glial cells play a role for guidance ofphotoreceptor axons. The loss‐of‐function Star mutation ( Star X155 )dominantly suppressed the defects in the argos optic lobes, suggesting that these twogenes act in an antagonistic fashion during optic lobe development. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss,Inc.